English

set aback

From set + aback.

A compound of set + aback

Proto-Indo-European *sed- ‘to sit’

…

Proto-Germanic *satjaną ‘to set’

Proto-West Germanic *sattjan ‘to set’

Old English settan ‘to set’

Middle English setten ‘to seat’

English set

Old English onbæc ‘backwards, back’

Middle English abak ‘backward, away’

English aback

Today it means

verb To startle or shock; to render (someone) confused or disconcerted.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / set aback