Etymograph

English

stepback

From step + back.

A compound of step + back

Proto-Indo-European *stebʰ- ‘to support’

Proto-Germanic *stapjaną ‘to step’

Proto-West Germanic *stappjan ‘to step’

Old English steppan ‘to step’

Middle English steppen ‘to step’

English step

Proto-Germanic *baką ‘back’

Proto-West Germanic *bak

Old English bæc

Middle English bak ‘the back’

English back

Today it means

noun A piece of furniture whose upper section is further back than the lower part, forming a flat shelf or step between them.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “stepback”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / stepback