Placard

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈplæk.ɑːd/

Definitions

1. A sign or notice typically made of paper or cardboard, displayed in a public place to convey information or promote a message
2. A piece of paper, cardboard, or similar material with a slogan or announcement, shown in public settings to attract attention
3. A publicly displayed notice or poster, often used to advertise events, convey information, or express opinions

Etymology: The word began life as a sticking-together verb. Old French "plaquer" meant "to stick or paste," and a "placard" was, literally, something pasted onto a wall. That verb was borrowed from Middle Dutch "placken," meaning to glue, fasten, or plaster, and it reaches back to a Proto-Germanic root for a piece of cloth or a patch, the idea being of material laid over a surface. The sense of a notice pasted to a wall came first, and the word later spread to notices of other kinds. In Middle English it could still mean an official document, a sense that persisted for some time before the modern meaning of a public poster or sign dominated. The Dutch cousin "plakkaat" keeps the original sense of a posted sheet alive today.

Synonyms: sign, poster, bill, notice, announcement