## Meanings
1. At or toward the back of someone or something.
2. At or toward the back.
3. Less advanced than, or later than, others.
4. Responsible for or causing something.

## Examples
- The children were hiding behind the wall.
- Wherever I went, my dog followed behind.
- Smith finished the race a lap behind the others.
- Who is behind these attacks?

## Derived Forms
- behind-the-scenes
- behinded
- behindness
- hidebehind
- therebehind
- wet-behind-the-ears
- writebehind

## Related Forms
- hind
- hiney

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: behinde
- Root: behindan
- Root: *bihindan
- Root: *bi-

## Etymology
From Middle English behinde, behinden, from Old English behindan (“on the back side of, behind”), from Proto-West Germanic *bihindan, *bihindini (“on the back side of, in the rear of, behind”), from Proto-West Germanic *bi- + *hindō (“the hind side, back part”), equivalent to be- + hind. Compare Old Saxon bihindan (“behind”, adverb), Middle High German behinter (“behind; back”).

## AI Etymology
Behind comes from Middle English behinde, behinden, from Old English behindan (“on the back side of, behind”), from Proto-West Germanic *bihindan, *bihindini (“on the back side of, in the rear of, behind”), from Proto-West Germanic *bi- + *hindō (“the hind side, back part”), equivalent to be- + hind. Compare Old Saxon bihindan (“behind”, adverb), Middle High German behinter (“behind; back”).

## Topics
- Grammar & Function Words

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