Standard Lemma guide

backache

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈbækeɪk/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: B AE1 K EY2 K Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Any pain or ache in the back.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

an ache localized in the back

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: ache, aching

Narrower terms: lumbago, lumbar pain

History

Etymology

From back + ache.

Across languages

Translations

25 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: бо́лки в гъ́рба (bólki v gǎ́rba) — any pain or ache in the back — see also lumbago
  • Chinese Mandarin: 背疼 (bèiténg) — any pain or ache in the back — see also lumbago
  • Chinese Mandarin: 腰痛 (yāotòng) — any pain or ache in the back — see also lumbago
  • Czech: bolest zad — any pain or ache in the back — see also lumbago
  • Dutch: rugpijn — any pain or ache in the back — see also lumbago
  • Finnish: selkäkipu — any pain or ache in the back — see also lumbago
  • Finnish: selkäkivut — any pain or ache in the back — see also lumbago
  • French: mal au dos — any pain or ache in the back — see also lumbago
  • Galician: dor de costas — any pain or ache in the back — see also lumbago
  • German: Rückenschmerzen — any pain or ache in the back — see also lumbago
  • Greek: πόνος στη μέση (pónos sti mési) — any pain or ache in the back — see also lumbago
  • Greek: οσφυαλγία (osfyalgía) — any pain or ache in the back — see also lumbago
  • Icelandic: bakverkur — any pain or ache in the back — see also lumbago
  • Italian: mal di schiena — any pain or ache in the back — see also lumbago
  • Japanese: 背中の痛み (senaka no itami) — any pain or ache in the back — see also lumbago
  • Japanese: 腰痛 (yōtsū) — any pain or ache in the back — see also lumbago
  • Central Kurdish: پشتێشە (piştêşe) — any pain or ache in the back — see also lumbago
  • Malayalam: നടുവേദന (naṭuvēdana) — any pain or ache in the back — see also lumbago
  • Portuguese: dor nas costas — any pain or ache in the back — see also lumbago
  • Russian: боль в спине́ (bolʹ v spiné) — any pain or ache in the back — see also lumbago
  • Russian: боль в поясни́це (bolʹ v pojasníce) — any pain or ache in the back — see also lumbago
  • Spanish: dolor de espalda — any pain or ache in the back — see also lumbago
  • Telugu: వెన్నునొప్పి (vennunoppi) — any pain or ache in the back — see also lumbago
  • Unami: ùpxkònineokàn — any pain or ache in the back — see also lumbago
  • Vietnamese: đau lưng — any pain or ache in the back — see also lumbago