Frontward is a 9 letter English word. It's valid Words with friends word worth 17 points.
You can make 288 anagrams from letters in frontward (adfnorrtw).
First recorded in 1545-55; front + -ward
A back rest would throw one forward in a frontward lurch, and give no support in case of a backward one.
frontward was the small lake's grey water, rearward an avenue of limes.