A large sheet of paper printed with news, propaganda, or advertisements, typically distributed by hand; a newspaper in large format.
From 'broad' + 'sheet' (Old English sceete, cloth). The term emerged in the 16th century when printing allowed cheaper distribution of news via single large pages rather than bound books.
Broadsheets were tabloid news before tabloids—sensational stories, lurid woodcut illustrations, and plenty of misspellings because they were rushed out by single printers. They're basically the social media of the 1600s.
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