What does leeboard mean?
A leeboard is a board fitted to the leeward side of a sailing vessel. It is lowered into the water so that the vessel's sideways motion pushes against it, reducing leeway caused by wind or current. This arrangement was especially useful for traditional sailing craft and small boats whose hulls did not provide sufficient lateral resistance. In nautical speech, the “lee” side is the side away from the wind. The term is relatively uncommon outside maritime contexts, and the spelling “lee board” is also used. A leeboard should not be confused with a centerboard, which is fitted inside the hull and pivots around a vertical axis. Unlike a centerboard, a leeboard remains outside the vessel's hull on the leeward side.
nounA board fitted to the leeward side of a sailing vessel and lowered into the water to reduce leeway, or sideways drift caused by the wind.
- A board attached to the leeward side of a sailing vessel, lowered into the water to counteract leeway.
"They lowered the leeboard as the boat reached the narrow channel."
"The traditional sailing boat uses a leeboard to keep it from being pushed sideways."
"After rounding the headland, the crew raised the leeboard and continued under sail."
Used when referring to multiple such boards or to boards fitted to different vessels.
"The harbor contained several traditional boats fitted with leeboards."
A leeboard is a sailboat's sideways brake: lower it into the water and the vessel resists the wind's push.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does leeboard come from?
The compound combines lee, the nautical term for the side sheltered from the wind, with board, denoting a flat wooden piece. Lee descends from Old English hlē and is related to shelter, while board entered Middle English from Old French boarde and is cognate with border. The compound has long denoted a board lowered on a vessel's leeward side to resist sideways drift.
How leeboard is actually used
This is a technical nautical term rather than everyday vocabulary. The two-word spelling "lee board" also occurs. It is especially associated with sailing vessels that rely on a board for lateral resistance.