Meanings
plural garboards
- nauticalThe board on a boat which attaches to the keel running fore and aft along the bottom.
The garboard strakes are generally of American elm, and it is best that the planking above should be of American elm or oak to within a foot or so of the load water-line, and teak above to the covering board or deck edge.
1884, Dixon Kemp, A Manual of Yacht and Boat Sailing (Fourth Edition), page 14
Synonyms & antonyms
nounthe first wale laid next to the keel of a wooden ship
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Dutchgaarboord
- Englishgarboard
From Dutch gaarboord, equivalent to gather + board.
More words from Dutch
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Finnish kölisarja
- kölisarjathe board on a boat which attaches to the keel running fore and aft along the bottom
French gabord
- gabordthe board on a boat which attaches to the keel running fore and aft along the bottom
Italian torello
- torellothe board on a boat which attaches to the keel running fore and aft along the bottom
Cite this entry
garboard. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/garboard
“garboard.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/garboard. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “garboard,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/garboard.
Source: garboard on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.