Blackboards

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A writing surface usually made of dark material, utilized with chalk for instructional use in classrooms and other formal environments
2. An educational tool designed for presenting information or writing notes, typically coated in a dark finish for visibility with chalk
3. Flat, dark panels traditionally used in schools and offices for writing with chalk and erasing easily

Etymology: "Blackboards" is the plural of "blackboard", a compound of two plain English words: "black" and "board". The name describes the material the surface was originally made from. Early classroom writing surfaces were typically slabs of black slate, so a board of that stone was simply a black board, and the name stuck even after the surfaces were later made of other materials, painted wood or composite, and came in green or white versions. The word is a straightforward descriptive compound, so its interest lies mainly in how literal it was. The name records a practical detail of classroom life, namely the dark stone that once made up the teaching surface. Because the meaning rests on the material rather than the function, the term outlived the substance it named.

Synonyms: chalkboards, boards, slates, writing surfaces, display boards