backrest

Etymology

back + rest

noun

1. The back piece of a chair, used to support the sitter's back.
   I can identify the pattern of wood grain on my chair at Mom and Dad's kitchen table, but I don't try to sketch it in my mind. For me, chairness is nonvisual; it's the feel of a seat connected to four legs and a backrest. 2011, Thad Nodine, chapter 3, in Touch and Go: A Novel, [Lakewood, Colo.]: Unbridled Books, page 39
2. A guide attached to the slide rest of a lathe, and placed in contact with the work to steady it in turning.