Wooden siding for buildings, consisting of long, thin boards with one edge thicker than the other, installed horizontally and overlapping.
From Middle Dutch 'klaphout,' literally meaning 'split wood' ('klappen' = to split, 'hout' = wood). Dutch shipbuilders used this technique to create overlapping wooden planks for ship hulls, and Dutch colonists brought the method to America for house construction. The word has nothing to do with 'clapping' — that's a folk etymology. It's all about the splitting technique used to create the tapered boards.
American colonial houses owe their classic look to Dutch shipbuilders! The overlapping wooden siding we see on New England homes came from techniques used to keep ocean water out of ship hulls. Those Dutch settlers literally built their houses like boats — which makes sense when you think about keeping harsh weather out.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.