/ ˈrɪəwəd; NAmE ˈrɪrwərd/ adjective
( formal ) at or near the back of sth :
rearward seats
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WORD ORIGIN
Middle English (as a noun denoting the rear part of an army): from Anglo-Norman French rerewarde rearguard; the adjective dates from the early 17th cent. and is from the noun rear + -ward .