backboards
|back-boards|
🇺🇸
/ˈbæk.bɔrd/
🇬🇧
/ˈbæk.bɔːd/
(backboard)
board at the back
Etymology
'backboard' originates from English, specifically a compound of 'back' and 'board', where 'back' meant 'rear part' and 'board' meant 'plank' or 'flat piece of wood'.
'backboard' developed in Modern English as a compound of Old English 'bæc' (back) and Old English 'bord' (board), forming the compound meaning 'a board at the back' and later specializing in various senses.
Initially, it meant 'a board at the back (of something)', but over time it evolved into specialized meanings such as 'the board behind a basketball hoop' and 'a rigid board used for immobilizing injured people'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
plural form of 'backboard': boards mounted behind basketball hoops used for bank shots and to rebound the ball.
The players practiced bank shots off the backboards during warm-ups.
Synonyms
Noun 2
plural form of 'backboard': long, rigid boards used by emergency responders to immobilize and transport injured people (spinal or stretcher boards).
Paramedics placed the injured hikers on backboards before moving them.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/12/25 16:28