An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Bord

by Friedrich Kluge

Bord, m., ‘board,’ borrowed, like many other nautical expressions (see the preceding word), from LG. Bord, as a naval term, is found very early in AS., where it is explained by tabula; in HG. the word would end in t, as MidHG. and OHG. bort (gen. bortes), ‘ship's side,’ testify; besides Rand or Ramft is the more frequent term in UpG. for what is called bord in LG. E. board combines two quite different words; the one, AS. bord, signifies lit. ‘board, plank’ (Goth. fôtubaúrd, ‘foot- board,’ to which Du. dambord, ‘draughtboard,’ is allied), and is primit. cognate with HG. Brett; the other means only ‘edge.’ See Bort and Brett.