Origin: Germanic Old English prefix
Behind has 10 different meanings across 4 categories:
the fleshy part of the human body that you sit on
"he deserves a good kick in the butt"
"are you going to sit on your fanny and do nothing?"
the rear, back-end
"The car got stuck behind a large pothole at the end of the driveway."
"The car got stuck in deep mud behind, trapping us on the narrow road."
Usage: Use "behind" as a noun only when referring to the rear part or tail end of an object, such as saying "the car hit me in the behind." In most everyday situations regarding location or position, it functions as a preposition or adverb rather than a standalone noun.
having the lower score or lagging position in a contest
"behind by two points"
"the 8th inning found the home team trailing"
in or to or toward the rear
"he followed behind"
"seen from behind, the house is more imposing than it is from the front"
"the final runners were far behind"
remaining in a place or condition that has been left or departed from
"when he died he left much unfinished work behind"
"left a large family behind"
"the children left their books behind"
"he took off with a squeal of tires and left the other cars far behind"
in or into an inferior position
"fell behind in his studies"
"their business was lagging behind in the competition for customers"
in debt
"he fell behind with his mortgage payments"
"a month behind in the rent"
"a company that has been run behindhand for years"
"in arrears with their utility bills"
At the back part; in the rear.
"The old oak tree stands behind the house, casting a long shadow over the backyard."
In plain English: Behind means at the back of something or someone.
"The bus was already gone, so we were running behind schedule."
Usage: Use "behind" as an adverb to indicate that someone or something is located at the back of another object without needing a following noun phrase. It functions correctly when describing relative position, such as standing behind the line, rather than modifying a verb to show time.
At the back of; positioned with something else in front of.
"The old oak tree stands behind the small white cottage, hidden from view by the garden fence."
The word behind comes from the Old English phrase meaning "on the back side of." It traveled into modern English by combining two older elements that referred to being in the rear.