springboard

English Thesaurus

1. a beginning from which an enterprise is launched (noun.act)

hypernym	:	beginning, commencement, start,
definition	:	the act of starting something (noun.act)

2. a flexible board for jumping upward (noun.artifact)

hypernym	:	board,
definition	:	a flat piece of material designed for a special purpose (noun.artifact)

hyponym	:	diving board,
definition	:	a springboard from which swimmers can dive (noun.artifact)