A flexible board that bounces when you jump on it, or something that helps you get started or advance toward a goal.
Compound word combining 'spring' (to jump or bounce) and 'board' (a flat piece of wood). Originally referred to literal diving boards that spring back, then extended metaphorically to mean a launching point for success.
The Olympics diving springboard is so engineered that divers can calculate exactly how high they'll bounce—but the metaphorical use is even cooler: Lincoln's debates with Stephen Douglas were a springboard to his presidency.
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