Aback vs Amaze - What's the difference?
aback | amaze |
(archaic) Towards the back or rear; backwards.
* (rfdate),
(archaic) In the rear; a distance behind.
By surprise; startled; dumbfounded.
(nautical) Backward against the mast; said of the sails when pressed by the wind from the "wrong" (forward) side, or of a ship when its sails are set that way.
(obsolete) To stupefy; to knock unconscious.
(obsolete) To bewilder; to stupefy; to bring into a maze.
* Shakespeare
(obsolete) To terrify, to fill with panic.
*, New York Review Books 2001, p.261:
To fill with wonder and surprise; to astonish, astound, surprise or perplex.
* Bible, Matthew xii. 23
* Goldsmith
To undergo amazement; to be astounded.
* 1590 , (Edmund Spenser), The Faerie Queene , I.ii:
* 1891 , (Mary Noailles Murfree), In the "Stranger People's" Country , Nebraska 2005, p. 103:
* 1985 , (Lawrence Durrell), Quinx'', Faber & Faber 2004 (''Avignon Quintet ), p. 1361:
In obsolete|lang=en terms the difference between aback and amaze
is that aback is (obsolete) an abacus while amaze is (obsolete) to terrify, to fill with panic.As nouns the difference between aback and amaze
is that aback is (obsolete) an abacus while amaze is .As an adverb aback
is (archaic) towards the back or rear; backwards .As a verb amaze is
(obsolete) to stupefy; to knock unconscious.aback
English
Etymology 1
* From (etyl) . * . Compare West Frisian .Adverb
(-)- Therewith aback she started.
- (Knolles)
- By setting the foresail aback and the headsail in the middle one can bring a fore-and-aft rigged sailing boat practically to a halt even in heavy wind.
- (Totten)
Usage notes
* (by surprise) Preceded by a form of the word take .See also
*Etymology 2
From abacus.References
amaze
English
Verb
(amaz)- a labyrinth to amaze his foes
- [Fear] amazeth many men that are to speak or show themselves in public assemblies, or before some great personages […].
- He was amazed when he found that the girl was a robot.
- And all the people were amazed , and said, Is not this the son of David?
- Spain has long fallen from amazing Europe with her wit, to amusing them with the greatness of her Catholic credulity.
Noun
(-)- All in amaze he suddenly vp start / With sword in hand, and with the old man went [...].
- Shattuck looked at him in amaze .
- She took the proffered cheque and stared at it with puzzled amaze , dazed by her own behaviour.