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drainboard

drainboard

1 5.5
A sloping surface beside a kitchen sink where washed dishes drain into the sink
  • noun
  • /ˈdreɪnˌbɔrd/
  • US
translation icon : escurridor
  • The drainboard was filled with sparkling clean bowls and plates, all ready for the next meal.
  • sink with a drainboard

Examples

  • Taiesha grabs the blue plate from the yellow drainboard.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • He wiped the drainboard clean after the dinner party to remove the leftover water from the washed dishes.

  • Double drainboard sink and plenty of cupboard space.

  • Next to her, on the drainboard, was her favorite blue delft plate.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • "Where are they?" she wondered out loud. She checked the sink and drainboard.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • He watched her wash out a glass and put it on the drainboard.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • Copper pots and steel utensils hung over the drainboard, and the red curtains puffed in the breeze from the open window.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • After washing the dishes, she placed them on the drainboard to dry before putting them away.

Synonyms

draining board
vsdrainboard
  • UK
3.2

A flat sloping area next to a sink where washed dishes drain

is the same but written as a single word

Surface Forms

drainboard singular
drainboards plural

Morphology

drainboard = drain + board (transparent) = drain + board

The meaning is directly the combination of 'drain' + 'board' (a board used for draining dishes), which is straightforward for learners.

Etymology

Drainboard comes from two simple words: drain meaning 'to let water run away' and board meaning 'a flat piece of wood' or 'flat surface'. So a drainboard is the sloping flat area next to a sink that lets water from washed dishes run back into the sink.