definitions

clapboard

1
[ klab-erd, klap-bawrd, ‐bohrd ]
/ ˈklæb ərd, ˈklæpˌbɔrd, ‐ˌboʊrd /
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noun

Chiefly Northeastern U.S. a long, thin board, thicker along one edge than the other, used in covering the outer walls of buildings, being laid horizontally, the thick edge of each board overlapping the thin edge of the board below it.
British. a size of oak board used for making barrel staves and for wainscoting.

adjective

of or made of clapboard: a clapboard house.

RELATED WORDS

board, frame, log, peg, plant, slab, timber, woody, ligneous, timbered

Nearby words

clap, clap eyes on, clap on, clap skate, clap-net, clapboard, clapham sect, clapometer, clapped out, clapped-out, clapper

Origin of clapboard

1
1510–20; earlier clap bord, alteration of obsolete clapholt < Low German klappholt (cognate with Dutch klaphout) split wood used for barrel staves; see clap1, holt

Definition for clapboard (2 of 2)

clapboard

2
[ klap-bawrd, -bohrd ]
/ ˈklæpˌbɔrd, -ˌboʊrd /

noun Movies.

a small board with a hinged stick attached that is clapped down at the beginning of the filming of a shot for use later in synchronizing sound and image in the editing of the film.

Origin of clapboard

2
clap1 + board
Also called clapper board, clap·stick [klap-stik] /ˈklæpˌstɪk/.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

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British Dictionary definitions for clapboard

clapboard

/ (ˈklæpˌbɔːd, ˈklæbəd) /

noun

  1. a long thin timber board with one edge thicker than the other, used esp in the US and Canada in wood-frame construction by lapping each board over the one below
  2. (as modifier)a clapboard house

verb

(tr) to cover with such boards

Word Origin for clapboard

C16: partial translation of Low German klappholt, from klappen to crack + holt wood; related to Dutch claphout; see board
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012