backboard

== English == === Pronunciation === Hyphenation: back‧board === Etymology 1 === From back +‎ board. ==== Noun ==== backboard (plural backboards) (basketball) The flat vertical surface to which the basket is attached. (tennis) A flat vertical wall with the image of a tennis net drawn or painted on it, designed to practice hitting against such that the ball rebounds. (medicine) A spine board. A board placed at the back of a cart, boat, behind a signal, etc. ===== Translations ===== ==== Verb ==== backboard (third-person singular simple present backboards, present participle backboarding, simple past and past participle backboarded) (medicine, transitive) To place (a patient) on a spine board. === Etymology 2 === Likely a borrowing from Dutch bakboord (“portside”) or from Middle Low German backbort, bakbōrt (“portside”). Old English bæcbord (“larboard, portside”) did not survive (in that form) into Middle English; Scottish texts of the 1500s have forms like bawbord, baburd and babord, possibly borrowed from French bâbord; later texts with Scots backburd, backber may have borrowed it from Old Norse bakborði (“portside”). Cognate with West Frisian bakboard (“portside”), German Backbord (“portside”), Danish bagbord (“portside”). ==== Noun ==== backboard (usually uncountable, plural backboards) (nautical) The port or larboard side of a ship Synonyms: port, larboard, leeboard, left Antonym: starboard