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Glite Dictionary
gangboard

gangboard

9.9
A temporary plank people use to walk between a ship and the dock
  • noun
  • /ˈɡæŋbɔrd/
  • Archaic
translation icon : pasarela
  • The sailors laid down the gangboard to allow the passengers to disembark safely.

Examples

  • During heavy cargo loading, the gangboard provided easy access between the dock and the ship.

  • Before departure, the crew removed the gangboard and secured it below deck.

  • The crew placed the gangboard securely on the dock.

  • Can you see the gangboard from the ship?

  • The sailors laid down the gangboard to allow the passengers to disembark safely.

  • During heavy cargo loading, the gangboard provided easy access between the dock and the ship.

  • Before departure, the crew removed the gangboard and secured it below deck.

Synonyms

gangway
vsgangboard
6 6.4

A narrow temporary bridge used to walk onto a ship or across mud

is specifically for use at a dock to get on or off a ship
gangplank
vsgangboard
5 7.1

A movable bridge people use to get on or off a ship at a dock

is less about being movable and more about a temporary platform

Surface Forms

gangboard singular
gangboards plural

Morphology

gangboard = gang + board (semi-transparent) = gang + board

The compound is literal ('gang' + 'board' = plank for boarding), but the maritime sense of 'gang' (passage/gangway) is not familiar to many learners who mainly know 'gang' as a group, making the meaning only partly obvious.

Etymology

The word gangboard comes from two parts: gang, an old word meaning 'to walk' or 'passage', as in gangway, and board, meaning 'a flat piece of wood'. So a gangboard is literally a wooden 'walkway' used to get on and off a ship.