Etymology and nomenclature

Shingle is a corruption of German Schindel meaning a roofing slate. Shingles historically were called tiles, and shingle was a term applied to wood shingles, as is still mostly the case outside the US.

Shingles are laid in courses, usually with each shingle offset from its neighbors. The first course is the starter course and the last being a ridge course or ridge slates for a slate roof. The ridge is often covered with a ridge cap, board, piece, or roll, sometimes with a special ridge vent material.

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