tarboard

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UK/ˈtɑː.bəd/Canada, US/ˈtɑɹ.bɚd/Australia/ˈtaː.bəd/

noun

A kind of tough millboard containing tar, used in making springbacks for books.

Scrabble 11
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Meanings

nountarboard (countable and uncountable, plural tarboards)

plural tarboards

  1. countablehistoricaluncountableA kind of tough millboard containing tar, used in making springbacks for books.

    Best Quality Tarboards

    1889, The Inland Printer, volume 6, page 210
    1 more example

    Tarboards are lined up in full sheets for cheap work only; […]

    1894, The American Bookbinder, volume 5, page 16

Origin

tar + board

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

artboard
Cite this entry
APA

tarboard. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tarboard

MLA

“tarboard.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tarboard. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tarboard,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tarboard.

Source: tarboard on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.