kickback
UK[ˈkɪkbæk]US[ˈkɪkˌbæk]
n
A sum of money paid illegally to someone who has helped to arrange a business or political deal, especially by using their influence.
n
A sudden, forceful springing back or recoil.
Morpheme Breakdown
kick
back
kick
to strike with the foot
back
the rear part of the body
Etymology
The word 'kickback' is a transparent compound formed from two native English elements, 'kick' and 'back'. Its literal sense, referring to a physical recoil like that of a gun, emerged in the late 19th century, directly visualizing the action of something being driven backwards. The now-dominant financial meaning, first recorded in American English in the 1930s, is a metaphorical extension of this idea. It vividly conceptualizes the illicit payment as something being surreptitiously "kicked back" from the main transaction to the facilitating party, completing a covert and reciprocal exchange.
Analysis
Structure: kick + back
- kick: From Middle English kiken, of uncertain origin, possibly from Old Norse kikna ("to bend backwards, sink at the knee"). In this compound, it functions as a verb root meaning "to strike with the foot" or "to recoil."
- back: From Old English bæc, meaning "the rear part of the body" or "in the opposite direction." In this compound, it functions as an adverbial particle indicating a return or reciprocal action.
Examples
The contractor was accused of paying a kickback to the city official to win the construction bid.
The old lawnmower had a violent kickback when he pulled the starter cord.
The whistleblower revealed a widespread system of kickbacks within the healthcare company.