billboard

English

noun
Definitions
  • A very large outdoor sign, generally used for advertising.
  • (dated) A flat surface, such as a panel or fence, on which bills are posted; a bulletin board.
  • (nautical) A piece of thick plank, armed with iron plates, and fixed on the bow or fore-channels of a vessel, for the bill or fluke of the anchor to rest on.
  • (computer graphics) A sprite that always faces the screen, no matter which direction it is looked at from.

Etymology

Compound from English bill (note of charges for goods, the point of beyond the fluke, sheet of paper, cutting instrument, list) + English board (plank).

Origin

English

board

Gloss

plank

Timeline

Distribution of cognates by language

Geogrpahic distribution of cognates

Cognates and derived terms