# clapboard

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈklæpˌbɔːd/ · frequency rank #79,387

## Definitions
1. A narrow board, usually thicker at one edge than the other, used as siding for houses and similar structures of frame construction.
2. Such boards, arranged horizontally and overlapping with thick edge down, collectively, as siding.
3. An oak board of a size used for barrel staves.

## Etymology
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".

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/clapboard