Checkboxes

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A small square or rectangular box that can be marked to indicate a selection or option among multiple choices
2. A graphical user interface element that allows users to select or deselect items within a form or list, typically represented by a small square
3. An interactive markable box in digital or printed documents enabling users to choose options, often found in surveys and questionnaires

Etymology: "Checkboxes" is simply the plural of "checkbox," so it names more than one of the small squares that people tick to register a choice. The single word "checkbox" is a compound of "check" and "box," with "check" used in its sense of marking or verifying something and "box" meaning a small square container or outline. Put together, the pair describes a box you mark to show that you have checked an option. The plural form follows ordinary English rules: add "-es" after the "x," giving "checkboxes." Because the word is built from two familiar parts, its history is straightforward, and its meaning stays close to the literal sense of the two components combined.