Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

mossback

/ˈmɔsˌbæk/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English

Syllables
moss-back
IPA
/ˈmɔsˌbæk/
18
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
2
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Synonym of mossyback (“a person with old-fashioned views; hence, one who is very conservative or reactionary”).

American usage; Informal

noun

A person who stayed hidden to evade conscription (especially by the Confederate States Army) during the American Civil War (1861–1865); a mossyback.

American usage; Informal

noun

Senses relating to animals.

American usage

noun

Senses relating to animals.

American usage

noun

Senses relating to animals.

American usage

noun

Senses relating to animals.

American usage

Etymology

From moss + back (in senses 1 (“person with old-fashioned views; one who is very conservative or reactionary”) and 2.3 (“fish that is large and old”) probably a variant of mossyback, which is attested earlier), alluding to someone or something that is so old or has remained so unmoving that it is as if moss has grown on them or it. Sense 2.4 (“largemouth bass”) may refer to the back of the fish being a dark green colour.

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈmɔsˌbæk/
  • British English: /ˈmɒsbæk/

Usage

Inflected Forms

mossbacks (plural)

Derived Forms

mossbacked

Phrases

a rolling stone gathers no moss

Frequently Paired Words

a rolling stone gathers no moss mossyback mossybacked

Synonyms

conservative reactionary retrograde traditionalist mossyback

Questions

How do you pronounce mossback?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈmɔsˌbæk/.
What does mossback mean?
Synonym of mossyback (“a person with old-fashioned views; hence, one who is very conservative or reactionary”).
Where does mossback come from?
From moss + back (in senses 1 (“person with old-fashioned views; one who is very conservative or reactionary”) and 2.3 (“fish that is large and old”) probably a variant of mossyback, which is attested earlier), alluding to someone or something that is so old or has remained so unmoving that it is as if moss has grown on them or it. Sense 2.4 (“largemouth bass”) may refer to the back of the fish being a dark green colour.

How to pronounce mossback

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “mossback”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈmɔsˌbæk/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “mossback”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “mossback” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.