boardwalk en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˈbɔɹdˌwɔk/ (General-American)
- wäk (cot-caught-merger)
- /ˈbɔɹdˌwɑk/ (cot-caught-merger)
- /ˈbɔːd.wɔːk/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /ˈboːd.woːk/ (Australia)
- (Australia) audio
Etymology
From board + walk.
Meanings
-
A slightly elevated path (walkway) for pedestrians over sandy or swampy ground, typically made out of wood; specifically (Canada, US) one running alongside a body of water or beach.
New Jersey was reeling on Wednesday from the impact of Hurricane Sandy, which has caused catastrophic flooding here in Hoboken and in other New York City suburbs, destroyed entire neighborhoods across the state and wiped out iconic boardwalks in shore towns that had enchanted generations of vacationgoers.
2012 October 31, David M. Halbfinger, “New Jersey reels from storm’s thrashing”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 01 Nov 2012:From the height of the boardwalk the sea lay before them, silver and stony, fold on fold of it, stretching east into the mist and clouds.
1963 winter, Josephine W[inslow] Johnson, “Coney Island in November”, in The Virginia Quarterly Review, volume 39, number 1, Charlottesville, Va.: University of Virginia, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 453:[A]bout the beginning of the war the greatest concern of [Ulysses Simpson] Grant was to get a good boardwalk laid from his house to the store. […] It is related, that after one of his great victories, some gentlemen of Galena had the walk laid, and telegraphed the General: "Rest easy, the walk is down."
1868, James S[anks] Brisbin, chapter III, in The Campaign Lives of Ulysses S. Grant and Schuyler Colfax, Cincinnati, Oh.: C. F. Vent & Co., publishers; […], →OCLC, page 57:To drive home the point, Obama and Christie visited the Point Pleasant boardwalk and even engaged in a “Touchdown Fever” football toss, with Obama missing his throws while Christie’s first effort was a winner, sailing through the tire.
2013 May 28, Tom Cohen, “Obama channels Springsteen in touring Jersey storm recovery”, in CNN:Oh when the sun beats down and burns the tar up on the roof / And your shoes get so hot you wish your tired feet were fire proof / Under the boardwalk, down by the sea, yeah / On a blanket with my baby is where I'll be
1964 June, Kenny Young, Arthur Resnick, “Under the Boardwalk”, performed by The Drifters:A man, whom we had noticed walking rather uncertainly, as if not sure whether he was going up or down hill, at this crisis came to a pause, staggered off the boardwalk, and leaned against the fence.
1865 June, “Godey’s Arm-chair”, in [Louis Antoine Godey and Sarah Josepha Hale], editors, Godey’s Lady’s Book and Magazine, volume LXX, Philadelphia, Pa.: L[ouis] A[ntoine] Godey, →OCLC, page 557, column 2:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| boardwalks | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Coordinates
corduroy road (thoroughfare paved with wood) · duckboards (thoroughfare paved with wood) · plank road (thoroughfare paved with wood)
Synonyms
promenade (elevated path by a beach)
Translations (7)
he טַיֶּלֶת (slightly elevated path for pedestrians) · gl pasarela (slightly elevated path for pedestrians) · mi arapapa (slightly elevated path for pedestrians) · pl promenada (slightly elevated path for pedestrians) · ru доща́тая тропа (slightly elevated path for pedestrians) · gl paseo marítimo (slightly elevated path for pedestrians) · ja ボードウォーク (slightly elevated path for pedestrians)