joist

[ joist ]

/ dʒɔɪst /

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noun

any of a number of small, parallel beams of timber, steel, reinforced concrete, etc., for supporting floors, ceilings, or the like.

verb (used with object)

to furnish with or fix on joists.

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Origin of joist

1325–75; Middle English giste<Old French <Latin *jacitum support, noun use of neuter of Latin jacitus (past participle of jacēre to lie), equivalent to jaci- variant stem + -tus past participle suffix

OTHER WORDS FROM joist

joistless, adjective

Words nearby joist

joint venture, jointworm, join up, Joinvile, Joinville, joist, jojoba, Jokai, joke, jokebook, joker

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use joist in a sentence

In the middle of this broad and fantastically carved joist there was an old painting representing a cat playing rackets.
At the Sign of the Cat and Racket|Honore de Balzac
Two small forks or bucks-horns fastened to a joist are indispensable articles for the support of the rifle.
A New Guide for Emigrants to the West|J. M. Peck
To all the woodwork round the prison doors they did the like, leaving not a joist or beam untouched.
Library of the World's Best Literature, Ancient and Modern Volume 11|Various
The farmer sat down upon a joist beside a vat in which a bundle of osiers were steeping, his face turned towards the farmhouse.
Autumn Glory|Ren Bazin

Joist is sounded joice in Limerick; and catch is everywhere pronounced ketch.
English As We Speak It in Ireland|P. W. Joyce

British Dictionary definitions for joist

joist

/ (dʒɔɪst) /

noun

a beam made of timber, steel, or reinforced concrete, used in the construction of floors, roofs, etcSee also rolled-steel joist

verb

(tr) to construct (a floor, roof, etc) with joists

Word Origin for joist

C14: from Old French giste beam supporting a bridge, from Vulgar Latin jacitum (unattested) support, from jacēre to lie

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

joist

Origin of joist

OTHER WORDS FROM joist

Words nearby joist

Words related to joist

How to use joist in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for joist

Word Origin for joist