bed and board

noun

1. living quarters and meals:

   In this school students must pay by the week for bed and board.

2. one's home regarded as exemplifying the obligations of marriage:

   He said he would not be responsible for her debts after she left his bed and board.

bed and board

noun

1. sleeping accommodation and meals
2. divorce from bed and board
   law a form of divorce whereby the parties are prohibited from living together but the marriage is not dissolved

Word History and Origins

Origin of bed and board¹

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50

Idioms and Phrases

Lodging and meals, as in Housekeepers usually earn a standard salary in addition to bed and board . This phrase was first recorded in the York Manual (c. 1403), which stipulated certain connubial duties: “Her I take ... to be my wedded wife, to hold to have at bed and at board.” Later bed was used merely to denote a place to sleep.