A thatching material made from the leaves of a palm tree, commonly used in Southeast Asia for roofing.
From Malay 'atap', a word for palm-leaf thatch used in traditional Southeast Asian construction. The term entered English through colonial and maritime contact with Malaysia and Indonesia.
Atap roofing is so durable and effective that it's been used for thousands of years in tropical Southeast Asia, and you can still find traditional buildings roofed with atap today—it's actually a sustainable alternative to modern materials.
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