'blackboard' originates from Modern English as a compound of 'black' and 'board', where 'black' meant 'dark' and 'board' meant 'plank' or 'flat surface'.

'black' comes from Old English 'blæc' and 'board' comes from Old English 'bord'; the compound 'blackboard' emerged in educational contexts in the 18th–19th century as wooden or slate boards were used for writing.

Initially it referred to a dark wooden board; over time it came to mean slate or other dark writing surfaces and is now commonly synonymous with 'chalkboard'.