What does "patchboard" mean?

A component of a manual telephone switchboard, or of various early data processing equipment, in which circuits are completed with cords on a matrix of connections.

What is a synonym for "patchboard"?

Common synonyms include: plugboard, switchboard, switchboard.

Patchboard

noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1
A component of a manual telephone switchboard, or of various early data processing equipment, in which circuits are completed with cords on a matrix of connections.
2
telephone central where circuits are completed with patchcords wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms

plugboard switchboard switchboard

Etymology

From patch + board.

Related phrases

data processing

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.