In this context, the word "class" is used in the sense of "classification". Programming objects are classified, like objects in the real world. In the real world there are objects that are classified as houses and objects that are classified as animals and objects that are classified as tables, etc. Each of those classifications is defined as having certain properties so for an object to be in a classification, it must have those properties. The same goes for programming classes. Each class is a definition of a classification of objects. You can then create objects of those types, with the defined properties of that class.