back

From Middle Low German bak (“bowl, box, chest”), from Middle Dutch bak (modern Dutch bak), from Old French bac (“large bowl”). Related with Becken, but unrelated with Backbord. The sense “dining table” is due to the fact that several sailors would eat from one bowl, so the word Back came to be used for the entire area that they shared. The sense “forecastle” might be a further generalisation because it is this part of the ship where the sailors ate and slept. Otherwise it could be derived from t