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clapboard

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clapboard¹

  • /ˈklæpˌbɔːd/ UK
  • /ˈklæbəd/ UK
  • /ˈklæpˌbɔɹd/ US
  • /ˈklæbəɹd/ US

Rhymes with -æbə(ɹ)d

Where it comes from

From Middle English clapholt, partial translation from Middle Low German klappholt or Middle Dutch klapholt (“barrel stave”), from klappen (“to crack”) + holt (“wood”). The part "holt" was later calqued to "board".

noun clapboards

  1. countable, uncountable A narrow board, usually thicker at one edge than the other, used as siding for houses and similar structures of frame construction. Its exterior is covered with clapboards stained dark brown.
  2. uncountable Such boards, arranged horizontally and overlapping with thick edge down, collectively, as siding. As the train wound along the river valleys through western Pennsylvania the scenery grew more rugged and the painted houses of Lancaster County gave way to dirty clapboard dwellings and shack homes clinging to the mountainside.
  3. UK, archaic, countable, uncountable An oak board of a size used for barrel staves.

Similar: weatherboard

verb clapboards · clapboarding · clapboarded

  1. transitive To cover with clapboards. to clapboard the sides of a house

clapboard²

  • /ˈklæpˌbɔː(ɹ)d/

Where it comes from

From clap + board.

noun clapboards

  1. A clapperboard; a device used in film production, having hinged boards that are brought together with a clap, used to synchronize picture and sound at the start of each take of a motion picture or other video production.

    Similar: clapperboard, clapstick, slate, slate board, sync slate, sticks, board, marker

Thesaurus

noun

Similar: weatherboard

Translations

Every language

noun siding for houses

DeutschSchindel

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MLA

"clapboard." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/clapboard. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

clapboard. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/clapboard

Chicago

"clapboard." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/clapboard.

BibTeX
@misc{clapboard_2026,
  title = {clapboard},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/clapboard},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}