clapboard

English

Etymology 1

From Middle English clapholt, from Middle Low German or Middle Dutch klapholt. The part "holt" was later calqued to "board".

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈklæpˌbɔː(ɹ)d/, /ˈklæbə(ɹ)d/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈklæb(ə)ɹd/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æbə(ɹ)d
• Hyphenation: clap‧board

Noun

clapboard (countable and uncountable, plural clapboards)

a house clad with clapboard

1. A narrow board, usually thicker at one edge than the other, used as siding for houses and similar structures of frame construction.
   • 2007 September 28, Wendy Moonan, New York Times‎^[1]:

     Its exterior is covered with clapboards stained dark brown.

2. (uncountable) Such boards, arranged horizontally and overlapping with thick edge down, collectively, as siding.
   • 1953 July, Allen Rowley, “First Impressions of American Railways”, in Railway Magazine, page 492:

     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. (archaic, UK) An oak board of a size used for barrel staves.

Synonyms

• weatherboard

Translations

siding for houses

• German: Schindel (de) f

Verb

clapboard (third-person singular simple present clapboards, present participle clapboarding, simple past and past participle clapboarded)

1. (transitive) To cover with clapboards.

   to clapboard the sides of a house

See also

• Clapboard on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

References

• “clapboard”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Etymology 2

From clap +‎ board.

a clapperboard

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈklæpˌbɔː(ɹ)d/

• Audio (UK):

  (file)

Noun

clapboard (plural clapboards)

1. (film) A clapper board; 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.

Synonyms

• (film): clapper board, clapstick, slate, slate board, sync slate, sticks, board, marker

Translations

clapperboard — see clapperboard