- behind
- behind: [OE] Behind was compounded in Old English times from the prefix bi- ‘by’ and hindan ‘from behind’. This second element, and the related Old English hinder ‘below’, have relatives in other Germanic languages (German hinten and hinter ‘behind’, for example), and are connected with the English verb hinder, but their ultimate history is unclear. Modern English hind ‘rear’ may come mainly from behind.
=> hind, hinder - behind (adv.)
- Old English behindan "behind, after," from bi "by" + hindan "from behind" (see hind (adj.)). The prepositional sense emerged in Old English. Euphemistic noun meaning "backside of a person" is from 1786. Phrase behind the times is from 1905. Behind the scenes (1711) is from the theater; figurative sense attested by 1779.