backstroke

English

Etymology

From back +‎ stroke.

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈbækˌstɹoʊk/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

backstroke (plural backstrokes)

English Wikipedia has an article on:

backstroke

Wikipedia

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