shiplap

S1H4I1P3L1A1P3
/ˈʃɪp(ˌ)læp/

noun

A type of wooden board that has rabbets to allow them to be overlapped, commonly used for the exterior siding of buildings.

RareFirst used 19th c.Scrabble 14
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Meanings

nounshiplap (countable and uncountable, plural shiplaps)

plural shiplaps

  1. countableuncountableA type of wooden board that has rabbets to allow them to be overlapped, commonly used for the exterior siding of buildings.First known use 19th c.

    He stood on the horse and located several long pieces of one-by-eight shiplap and pulled them down.

    1975, Larry Woiwode, Beyond the Bedroom Wall, page 36
verbshiplap (third-person singular simple present shiplaps, present participle shiplapping, simple past and past participle shiplapped)

present singular third person shiplaps · participle present shiplapping · participle past shiplapped · past shiplapped

  1. transitiveTo overlap boards by this means.

Origin

From ship + lap.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Finnish puoliponttilauta
  • puoliponttilautatype of wooden board

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

Lappishpalshipapplishslippah
Cite this entry
APA

shiplap. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shiplap

MLA

“shiplap.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shiplap. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “shiplap,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shiplap.

Source: shiplap on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.