breadboard

[ bred-bawrd, -bohrd ]

noun

1. a slab of wood on which dough is kneaded and bread is sliced.
2. Electronics. a circuit assembled on an insulating surface, often with solderless contacts, in which components can easily be replaced for circuit alteration and experimentation.

verb (used with object)

1. Electronics. to construct (an experimental circuit) for the purpose of feasibility tests.

breadboard

/ ˈbrɛdˌbɔːd /

noun

1. a wooden board on which dough is kneaded or bread is sliced
2. an experimental arrangement of electronic circuits giving access to components so that modifications can be carried out easily

Word History and Origins

Origin of breadboard¹

First recorded in 1855–60; bread + board

Example Sentences

You can also check out The Verge’s story on the original iPhone prototype, which looked more like a breadboard electronics project than the pocketable device it would eventually become.

From The Verge

Do you have any suggestions for the ceiling — breadboard, fake decorative ceiling tile?

From Seattle Times

The wheels have been developed by Nasa at its Glenn Research Center and the B2 contract will see examples fitted to a prototype rover, or breadboard, to demonstrate their capability.

From BBC

In a single clock, there are trellised black cords vaulting between breadboards, a small colony of blue lasers, an oven where the strontium atoms were trapped.

From Salon

Instead of building complicated circuits from scratch on a ‘breadboard’, scientists can turn to open-source tools, such as the widely used Arduino programmable circuit board, to design, build and code the controls needed.

From Nature