English edit

Etymology edit

back +‎ land

Noun edit

backland (plural backlands)

  1. Land that lies behind or beyond some primary settlement or development.
    • 2007 January 25, Larry Rohter, “Long-Lost Trove of Music Connects Brazil to Its Roots”, in New York Times[1]:
      He has developed a sophisticated, inventive way to use these modulations that were quite common in the singers we heard there in the backlands of the northeast.”