Imageboards

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A type of online forum that allows users to share and discuss images on various topics
2. Serving as a platform for both casual interaction and niche communities centered around specific interests
3. Often characterized by an anonymous posting style and rapid content turnover where visuals and user-generated material are published and commented upon

Etymology: "Imageboards" is simply the plural of "imageboard", a compound of "image" and "board". The "image" element comes from Latin "imago", a likeness or representation, which passed through Old French into English. The "board" element is the older and more concrete half: a flat piece of wood, which in the sense relevant here became a surface for pinning up notices and pictures, as in a bulletin board or notice board. Put together, the compound describes a board on which images are posted for others to see. The online sense is a modern extension of that picture: a site where users upload pictures and comment on one another's posts, with the physical notice board reimagined as a web forum. The plural simply counts several such sites.

Synonyms: forums, discussion boards, message boards, online boards, image forums