Backlash

How to spell backlash

8 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce backlash

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does backlash mean?

1. nounA strong, often hostile reaction by many people against a policy, trend, or change.
2. nounUnwanted play or sudden recoil between the moving parts of a machine, such as loosely meshing gears.

Backlash in a sentence

• The new parking charges provoked a fierce backlash from local residents.

• The engineer adjusted the gears to reduce the backlash in the drive shaft.

• The company faced a public backlash after raising its prices overnight.

• Worn teeth on the cog caused noticeable backlash when the motor reversed.

Where does backlash come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This is a native English compound formed from 'back', the Old English 'bæc' meaning the rear or a return motion, and 'lash', a Middle English word for a sudden, sharp striking movement whose own origin is probably imitative of a quick blow. The word first appeared in the early 1800s in a strictly mechanical sense, describing the sudden jarring recoil or wasted play between the parts of machinery, such as gears that do not mesh perfectly. From that engineering image of a violent reverse motion, the figurative meaning grew during the twentieth century: a strong, often hostile reaction by a group of people against a policy, trend, or change. Because both halves are plain English words, the spelling holds no foreign traps; the only thing to remember is that it is written as a single solid word rather than two.

How the word is built

• back (rear, in return)
• lash (a sudden sharp movement, from Middle English lashen)