backstitch

[bak-stich]

noun

stitching or a stitch in which the thread is doubled back on the preceding stitch.

verb (used with or without object)

to sew by backstitch.

Origin of backstitch

First recorded in 1605–15; back² + stitch

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for back-stitch

Historical Examples of back-stitch

You must be careful to take a back-stitch constantly, as you proceed.
The Ladies' Work-Table Book
Anonymous
In making up flannel, back-stitch and run the seams, and then cross-stitch them open.
A Treatise on Domestic Economy
Catherine Esther Beecher
Hem around the ends of the tape and back-stitch across the tape just at the edge of the towel.
Handicraft for Girls
Idabelle McGlauflin
The next stitch to learn is the combination-stitch, which is made up of both the running and the back-stitch (Figure 12).
The Library of Work and Play: Needlecraft
Effie Archer Archer
Use the combination stitch of one running stitch and one back-stitch just below the basting.
The Library of Work and Play: Needlecraft
Effie Archer Archer

British Dictionary definitions for back-stitch

backstitch

noun

a strong sewing stitch made by starting the next stitch at the middle or beginning of the preceding one

verb

to sew using this stitch

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for back-stitch

1610s, from back (adj.) + stitch (n.).