board
Definitions
A long, flat, thin piece of sawn wood used in building or for a particular purpose
木板；板（用于建筑或特定用途的扁平薄木片）
A group of people who manage or direct a company or organization
董事会；委员会（管理或领导公司、机构的一群人）
Meals provided regularly in return for payment, especially with lodging
膳食；伙食（定期付费提供的餐食，常与住宿一起）
To get on or into a ship, train, aircraft, or other vehicle
登上（船、火车、飞机等交通工具）
To cover or close something with boards
用木板覆盖、封住
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedboard is the Germanic root itself, from Old English bord 'plank.' The single word carries all four branches of the family at once: the plank (a wooden board), the ship's side you cross to get on (board the plane), the dining table and the meals served there (room and board), and the council table where decisions are made (board of directors). Same plank, four lives.
Root board still carries 7 more wordsWhy It Means This
board is one of the clearest cases in English of how a single concrete object can branch into meanings that seem unrelated. The Old English plank bord became the ship's wooden side (so you 'board' a ship by crossing it), the medieval dining table (so 'board' means meals), and the council table (so a 'board' is a committee). Once you see the plank underneath each sense, the multiple meanings stop looking random.
Usage Guide
- The committee sense is usually singular with 'the' (the board met) but takes plural agreement in British English (the board are divided).
- on board (two words) = physically on a vehicle, or figuratively in agreement: get everyone on board with the plan.
- room and board is a fixed phrase for lodging plus meals; do not say 'room and meals.'
- board up = cover with wooden planks (board up the windows); a phrasal verb distinct from board (a vehicle).
Example Sentences
- 1.
He nailed a wooden board across the broken window.
- 2.
The board of directors voted to approve the merger.
- 3.
The rent is cheap because it includes room and board.
- 4.
Passengers should board the train at platform four.
- 5.
They boarded up the shop windows before the storm.
Easily Confused
board vs aboard — board is the verb of getting on (board the plane) and a host of nouns; aboard is an adverb/preposition meaning already on (we are aboard). You board a ship (action), then you are aboard (state). board vs bored — same sound, different words: board is the plank/committee/verb; bored is the feeling of having nothing interesting to do.