Plural of backlog; accumulated tasks, orders, or work that haven't been completed yet but must be processed eventually.
From back (Old English bæc) + log (from Scandinavian, meaning a fallen tree trunk or record), combining to mean 'logs of work piled behind.'
Backlogs are the most honest measure of how busy a system really is—you can fake efficiency short-term, but backlogs reveal the truth about whether work is actually getting done.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.