lath

American  

[lath, lahth] / læθ, lɑθ /

noun

plural

laths

1. a thin, narrow strip of wood, used with other strips to form latticework, a backing for plaster or stucco, a support for slates and other roofing materials, etc.

2. a group or quantity of such strips.

3. work consisting of such strips.

4. wire mesh or the like used in place of wooden laths as a backing for plasterwork.

5. a thin, narrow, flat piece of wood used for any purpose.

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verb (used with object)

1. to cover or line with laths.

lath British  

/ lɑːθ /

noun

1. one of several thin narrow strips of wood used to provide a supporting framework for plaster, tiles, etc

2. expanded sheet metal, wire mesh, etc, used to provide backing for plaster or rendering

3. any thin strip of wood

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verb

1. (tr) to attach laths to (a ceiling, roof, floor, etc)

Other Word Forms

• lathlike adjective

Etymology

Origin of lath

before 1000; Middle English la ( th ) the; replacing Middle English latt, Old English lætt; cognate with German Latte, Dutch lat

Example Sentences

My own report from Dexter was a horror show: massive, insulation-free gaps between interior and exterior walls, revealing chunks of stone and lath that had last seen daylight when James Madison was president.

From The Wall Street Journal

And then there were moments of “11,000 Strings” that sounded like the musical aviaries of Olivier Messiaen emanating from a far away lath house.

From The Wall Street Journal

The 60 schools in the county that were checked for potentially unsafe ceilings were old buildings constructed using lath and plaster, which can crack and collapse if damaged.

From BBC

Inspections were launched after a ceiling - made out of lath and plaster - partly collapsed at a Synergy Education Trust academy.

From BBC

An acre-sized lath house provided shade for tender seedlings, and an innovative rainwater collection system provided water for irrigation six months of the year.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• girder
• joist
• piling
• pillar
• plank
• pole
• shaft
• sill
• timber