backstroke

English

the backstroke

Etymology

From back +‎ stroke.

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈbækˌstɹoʊk/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

backstroke (plural backstrokes)

1. A backhanded stroke or blow.
   • 1755, Miguel de Cervantes, translated by Tobias Smollett, Don Quixote, Volume 1, I.1:

     He observed that Cid Ruy-dias was an excellent knight; but not equal to the Lord of the Flaming-sword, who with one back-stroke [translating revés] had cut two fierce and monstrous giants through the middle.

2. (swimming) A stroke swum lying on one's back, while rotating both arms through the water as to propel the swimmer backwards.
3. (bellringing) The pull on the tail of the rope that swings the bell through a full circle (compare handstroke)

Synonyms

• back crawl

Derived terms

• backstroker

Related terms

• breaststroke
• butterfly stroke
• sidestroke

Translations

a swimming stroke swum on one's back

• Bulgarian: гръб (bg) m (grǎb)
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 背泳 (bui³ wing⁶)

  Mandarin: 仰泳 (zh) (yǎngyǒng), 背泳 (zh) (bèiyǒng)

• Dutch: rugslag (nl) m
• Finnish: selkäuinti (fi)
• French: dos crawlé (fr) m, dos (fr) m
• German: Rückenschwimmen (de) n, Rückenkraulen n
• Hungarian: hátúszás (hu)
• Japanese: 背泳 (ja) (はいえい, haiei)
• Maori: kau tīraha, kauhoe tīraha
• Polish: styl grzbietowy m
• Portuguese: nado de costas m, costas (pt) f pl, estilo de costas m
• Russian: пла́вание на спине́ n (plávanije na spiné)
• Spanish: dorso (es) m, estilo espalda m
• Swedish: ryggsim (sv) n
• Tagalog: balangay (tl), himbalangay
• Welsh: nofio cefn
• Yiddish: נאַזנשוווּם m (naznshvum)

Verb

backstroke (third-person singular simple present backstrokes, present participle backstroking, simple past and past participle backstroked)

1. To swim the backstroke.

Translations

to swim backstroke

• Maori: kau tīraha, kauhoe tīraha
• Portuguese: nadar de costas
• Yiddish: שווימען נאַזנדיק (shvimen nazndik)

See also

• front crawl
• freestyle
• medley
• trudgen