BACKHAND

I. noun Date: 1657 1. a stroke (as in tennis) made with the back of the hand turned in the direction of movement, a catch (as in baseball) made to the side of the body opposite the hand being used, handwriting whose strokes slant downward from left to right, II. adjective Date: 1695 made with a ~ , III. adverb or ~ed Date: 1889 with a ~, IV. transitive verb Date: circa 1935 to do, hit, or catch ~