Meaning: back

Illustrative Context

I fell over and now my back hurts.

Disambiguation

Beware the polysemy of English back. The meaning intended here is the noun for the part of the human body, not the reverse side of an object, nor the adverb as in go back, put it back.

Target Sense

• The most generic term for the ‘back’ as a part of the human body.
• The term should be able to refer to the whole back, from the shoulders to the hips.
• In many languages, such as English, the lexeme in this target sense (back) can also be applied more widely, e.g. on horseback or the back of the house. In such languages, this remains the correct lexeme to select, since it is also the basic term for the target sense.
• Avoid, however, terms that refer specifically to the ‘back’ of an animal or the reverse side of an object, if different from the basic word for the human back.
• Avoid terms specific to the sense of the weight-bearing part of the body for carrying. In particular, avoid terms that mean specifically shoulders.
• Avoid narrower terms specific to only one part of the back, e.g. equivalent either to English upper back or lower back only.
• If a language has two distinct lexemes for the upper vs. lower back specifically, but no generic lexeme applicable to the whole back, then select the term considered the more basic and commoner of the two. Only if no such judgement seems justifiable, then select the term for the upper back.