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From Middle English placard (official document), from Middle French placard, placart, plaquart (a placard, a writing pasted on a wall), from The Old French verb plaquer, plaquier (to stick or paste, roughcast), from Middle Dutch placken, plecken (to glue or fasten, plaster, patch), ultimately from Proto-Germanic *plaggą (a piece of cloth, patch), equivalent to plaque +‎ -ard. Related to Middle Low German placken (to smear with lime or clay, plaster), Saterland Frisian Plak, Plakke (a hit, smack, slap), German Placken (a spot, patch), Icelandic plagg (a document), English play. Compare also Modern Dutch plakkaat (placard), Saterland Frisian Plakoat (a placard, poster). More at play.


placard (plural placards)

  2. (obsolete) A public proclamation; a manifesto or edict issued by authority.
    • Howell
      All placards or edicts are published in his name.
  3. (obsolete) Permission given by authority; a license.
    to give a placard to do something
  4. (historical) An extra plate on the lower part of the breastplate or backplate of armour.
  5. (historical) A kind of stomacher, often adorned with jewels, worn in the fifteenth century and later.



placard (third-person singular simple present placards, present participle placarding, simple past and past participle placarded)

  1. To affix a placard to.
  2. To announce with placards.
    to placard a sale





placard m (plural placards)

  1. a cupboard, cabinet or closet built against or into a wall
  2. an ad that is felt to be injurious, seditious or in otherwise bad taste
  3. (dated) a placard

Usage notes[edit]

  • The use of placards for announcements by authorities having mostly disappeared, the word affiche frequently replaces it in that meaning.

External links[edit]

Middle French[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]


placard m (plural placards)

  1. placard (public written notice)