Rear
/rɪə(r)/noun
The back part of something; the rear can also mean the back side or the hindmost position.
Did you know?English rear comes from an Old English word meaning “back” or “hind part,” and its deeper Indo-European root is also behind words for the back side in several ancient languages.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ret-
“to run, move, or turn back”
Latin
Latin
retro
“backward, behind”
Old French
Old French
riere
“the back part; behind”
Middle English
English
rere
“the hind part; back”
Modern English
English
rear
“the back part of something”