back matter

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

back′ mat′ter, [Print.]

1. Printing the parts of a book that appear after the main text, as bibliography, index, and appendixes. Also called end matter. Cf. front matter.

• 1945–50

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

back matter noun

1. the parts of a book, such as the index and appendices, that follow the main text