Forms: 4–6 borde, 5–7 bord, 6–7 boord, bourd, 6 boarde, Sc. burd, 6– board. [f. prec. sb.: cf. F. border; in senses 4 to 9 influenced by F. aborder. Cf. ABORD.]
I. Related to board = side of a ship, coast.
1. trans. a. To come close up to or alongside (a ship), usually for the purpose of attacking; to lay on board, or fall on board of. b. In later use, To go on board of or enter (a ship), usually in a hostile manner.
1494. Fabyan, VII. 450. So cruelly assaylyd yt they were borded or they myght be rescowyd.
1530. Palsgr., 460/1. I borde a shyppe … Jaborde vne nauire.
1601. Shaks., Twel. N., V. i. 65. This is he that did the Tiger boord.
1672. Lond. Gaz., No. 700/4. The Cambridge boarded one of the biggest of them, having beaten all her Men from the Decks, but … did not venture to let any of her Men enter her. Ibid. (1706), No. 4204/3. A … Privateer came up with her … boarded her, and lash’d her fast, in which manner they fought two hours.
1797. Nelson, in A. Duncan, Life (1806), 43. In boarding the San Nicholas, I believe we lost about seven killed and ten wounded.
1882. Hamley, Traseaden Hall, II. 251. The English vessel had … grappled the enemy and finally boarded her, the boarding party being led by the captain.
fig. 1580. Lyly, Euphues, 333. Ladyes pretende a great skyrmishe at the first, yet are boorded willinglye at the last.
† c. intr. To board with (in sense a.) Obs.
c. 1460. Fortescue, Abs. & Lim. Mon. (1714), 45. All the Kyngs Navye schall not suffice to bord with Caryks, and other grete Schippis.
1622. R. Hawkins, Voy. S. Sea (1847), 102. We had taken the Vice-Admirall, the first time shee bourded with us.
d. absol. (in sense b.)
1753. Hanway, Trav. (1762), I. II. xvi. 70. Their general practice is to board immediately.
1803. in Nicolas, Disp. Nelson, V. 186, note. Lieutenant Jones, in boarding, was mortally wounded.
1846. Arnold, Hist. Rome, II. xl. 575. To enable their men … to decide the battle by boarding.
2. trans. To go on board of, embark on.
1597. Warner, Alb. Eng., Æneidos, 325. Hee boording his Shippes … left Carthage.
1883. H. M. Kennedy, trans. Ten Brink’s E. E. Lit., 232. The fisherman prepares a ship, which he boards with his wife and children.
b. transf. (in U.S.) To enter (a railway train, etc.); to enter in a hostile or forcible way.
1879. Good Words, Jan., 50. The tramps had boarded a train 50 miles away.
† 3. trans. To put or take on board ship. Obs.
1542. in Harl. Misc. (Malh.), I. 243. A great nombre of the Spanyardes beyng caryed and borded.
1593. P. Nichols, Drake Revived, in Arb., Garner, V. 558. Boarding and stowing our provisions.
4. fig. To approach, ‘make up to,’ accost, address, ‘assail’; to make advances to. Cf. ACCOST.
a. 1547. Earl Surrey, Æneid, IV. 395. At length her self bordeth Aeneas thus.
1580. Lyly, Euphues (Arb.), 332. Philautus … began to boord hir in this manner.
1596. Spenser, F. Q., II. ii. 5. Whom thus at gaze the palmer gan to bord With goodly reason.
1600. Fairfax, Tasso, XIX. lxxvii. With some courtly tearmes the wench he bords.
1642. R. Carpenter, Experience, I. Med. III. 56. When the body is … borded by a sicknesse.
a. 1726. Vanbrugh, False Fr., I. i. 97. What … do you expect from boarding a woman … already heart and soul engag’d to another?
5. intr. Of a ship: To tack; to sail athwart the wind on alternate sides, so that the general course is against the wind. Also to board to and again, to board it, to board it up.
1627. Capt. Smith, Seaman’s Gram., ix. 39. This we call boording or beating it vp vpon a tacke in the winds eye.
a. 1631. Donne, Serm. (1839), IV. 307. It is well … if we can beat out a Storm at Sea with Boarding-to-and-again.
1682. Wheler, Journ. Greece, III. 286. They resolved … to bord it till Morning.
1692. in Capt. Smith’s Seaman’s Gram., I. xvi. To make a board, or board it up, is to turn to Windward.
† 6. trans. To border on, approach; intr. to lie close by, border upon.
1596. Spenser, F. Q., IV. xi. 43. The stubborne Newre [Nore], whose waters gray By faire Kilkenny and Rosseponte boord.
1610. P. Holland, Camden’s Brit., I. 242. Wotton Basset bordeth hard upon this.
1636. James, Iter Lanc., 4. In a wan fainte paleness boarding death.
II. Related to board = thin wood, etc.
7. trans. To cover or furnish with boards. To board over: to cover with boarding. To board up: to close with boarding.
1530. Palsgr., 460/1. Let your parlour be boorded.
1677. Moxon, Mech. Exerc. (1703), 153. The Floors being Boarded.
1885. Howells, S. Lapham, I. iii. 77. Many of the householders had boarded up their front doors. Ibid., iv. 89. The floors were roughly boarded over.
† b. To put in a coffin; to bury. Sc. Obs.
1535. Stewart, Cron. Scot., II. 687. Syne in Tynmouth … Tha burdit him thair richt solempnitly.
c. Bookbinding. To bind (a book) in boards.
1813. Scott, Lett., in Lockhart (1839), IV. 51. The demand for these continuing faster than they can be boarded.
1857. Buckle, in A. H. Huth, Life (1880), I. 132. I should prefer having the whole impression boarded at once.
III. Related to board = table, regular meals.
8. trans. To provide (a lodger, etc.) with daily meals; now generally to supply with both food and lodging at a fixed rate. See also BOARDING vbl. sb. 7.
1599. Shaks., Hen. V., II. i. 35. We cannot lodge and board a dozen or fourteene Gentlewomen.
1662. Fuller, Worthies (1840), III. 308. In his own house he boarded and kept full four and twenty scholars.
1724. Lond. Gaz., No. 6265/4. At Mrs. Grandmaison’s School … young Gentlewomen are Boarded.
9. intr. To have stated meals as a lodger at another person’s house; to be supplied with food and lodging at a fixed rate; to live with a family as one of its members for a stipulated charge.
1556. J. Heywood, Spider & F., lxiii. 48. To paie for boord, where euer this flock boords.
1667. Pepys, Diary (1879), IV. 332. My boy’s time, when I boarded at Kingsland.
1712. Steele, Spect., No. 296, ¶ 6. Gentlemen and Ladies, who board in the same House.
1850. W. Irving, Goldsmith, xxxiv. 324. He had engaged to board with the family.
10. causal. To place at board. So to board out.
1655. Francion, 69. He … boorded me with the Master of the College at Lysieux.
1876. Lowell, Among my Bks., Ser. II. 203. The boys were boarded among the dames of the village.
Mod. Many workhouse children are now boarded out with cottagers.
