baseboardn.
/ˈbeɪsbɔːd/, U.S. /ˈbeɪsˌbɔrd/ A board situated at or forming a base; spec. (chiefly U.S. and Canadian) = skirting board n.
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society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > parts of building > wall of building > [noun] > skirting board
skiftingc1450
baseboard1598
skirt-board1690
skirting boarda1756
base1757
skirting1825
washboard1828
1598 Inventory in N. Lowe Lancs. Textile Industry 16th Cent. (1972) 111 The Base Bordes about the Ware howse 4s.
1765 M. Duhamel in P. Bouguer Suppl. Treat. Ship-building 38 If the ship is not on an even keel,..make use of a square applied to the base board.
1822 J. Fincham Directions laying off Ships on Mould Loft Floor 115 The distances from the base board and perpendicular are taken at every foot.
1854 O. S. Fowler Home for All 159 After mop or base-boards are nailed on..fill in between these boards..with stone or mortar.
1899 Nature 15 June 149/2 The author conceived the idea of using on a base-board a rotary disc to represent a crank-shaft.
1935 A. Squire Sing Sing Doctor xiv. 210 A broad baseboard curves inward on either side [of the electric chair] to form a single wide center leg.
1958 Newnes Compl. Amateur Photogr. iii. 42 The scale is engraved on the base-board of the camera.
1992 Buzzworm Nov.–Dec. 31/2 A few earwigs tucked under the baseboards are not worthy worrying about.
2008 G. Huey Trim Carpentry for Homeowner v. 61/1 Baseboards also protect the wall from vacuum cleaners, everyday cleaning tools and sliding chairs.
Compounds
baseboard heater n. North American a heater located behind a skirting board or attached to a wall near the floor; esp. one which provides heat by means of a radiant electric coil.
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1908 Domest. Engin. 26 Sept. 325/1 Base-Board Heater... The combination with a floor and wall, said wall having a recess adjacent to the floor.
1984 T. McGuane Something to be Desired iv. 45 The thermostat on the baseboard heater turned on and forced W. T. Austinberry to get up and go a good part of the way across the room.
2007 E. Sobey Field Guide to Office Technol. iii. 50 Baseboard heaters are more common in smaller offices in parts of the country that enjoy lower electrical energy rates.
baseboard heating n. North American heating provided by baseboard heaters.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > properties of materials > temperature > heat > heating or making hot > [noun] > heating of building > specific system of
radiant heating1825
central heating1871
baseboard heating1908
pressure jet1910
space heating1930
ondol1935
gas firing1961
storage heating1961
microbore1968
1908 Amer. Artisan & Hardware Rec. 10 Oct. 35/1 To cover all requirements for baseboard heating.
1954 Archit. Rev. 116 343 One last variety is skirting panel heating, which is used extensively in America where it is known as ‘baseboard’ heating.
1993 Canad. Living Jan. 89/3 Worried that the aged forced-air heating system wouldn't manage to reach the third floor, they used electric baseboard heating.
2007 D. S. Scott Smelling Land vi. xxiv. 224 For baseboard heating there is neither an efficiency justification, nor one based on operating cost—just low initial capital cost.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2011; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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n.1598