a 1 b 3 a 1 c 3 k 5
5 letters · 13 points in Scrabble
Meaning
adverb having the wind against the forward side of the sails
adverb by surprise
originFrom Middle English abak, from Old English onbæc, equivalent to a- (“towards”) + back. Compare West Frisian tebek (“aback”, adverb, literally “to/at back”), Swedish tillbaka (idem.).
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0