dashboard

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

• noun A panel under the windshield of a vehicle, containing indicator dials, compartments, and sometimes control instruments.
• noun A user interface on a computer display that presents constantly updated information, such as processing speed, in a format that resembles the dashboard of a vehicle.

from The Century Dictionary.

• noun A board or leathern apron placed on the fore part of a chaise, gig, or other vehicle, to prevent water, mud, etc., from being thrown upon those in the vehicle by the heels of the horses.
• noun The float of a paddle-wheel.
• noun A screen placed at the bow of a steam-launch to throw off the spray; a spray-board.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

• noun A board placed on the fore part of a carriage, sleigh, or other vehicle, to intercept water, mud, or snow, thrown up by the heels of the horses; -- in England commonly called splashboard.
• noun The float of a paddle wheel.
• noun A screen at the bow af a steam launch to keep off the spray; -- called also sprayboard.
• noun an instrument panel beneath the front window of a motor vehicle (such as an automobile or truck), containing indicating gauges and dials, such as the speedometer and fuel gauges, and sometimes certain control knobs or other devices.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

• noun An upturned screen of wood or leather placed on the front of a horse-drawn carriage, sleigh or other vehicle that protected the driver from mud, debris, water and snow thrown up by the horse's hooves.
• noun A panel under the windscreen of a motor car or aircraft, containing indicator dials, compartments, and sometimes controls.
• noun computing, video games A graphical user interface in the form of or resembling a motor car dashboard.
• verb To organize in a dashboard format.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

• noun instrument panel on an automobile or airplane containing dials and controls
• noun protective covering consisting of a panel to protect people from the splashing water or mud etc.