Definition

Noun: A lath is a long, thin, flat piece of wood, metal, or other material. Historically and most commonly, it refers to a thin strip of wood used as a supporting framework, especially to provide a base for plaster on walls and ceilings or to create latticework.

Examples of Usage

• The old wall was constructed with plaster applied over wooden laths.
• Before installing the drywall, the carpenter nailed up the laths to create a solid backing.
• He used cedar laths to build a trellis for the climbing roses.

Advanced Usage

• "Lath and plaster": This is a traditional building technique for walls and ceilings, involving a series of laths nailed to studs or joists, which are then covered with several layers of wet plaster.
  • The historic home still had its original lath and plaster walls.
• "To lath" (verb, less common): The act of applying or fitting laths.
  • The next step is to lath the entire ceiling before plastering.

Variants and Related Words

• Lathing (noun): The material consisting of laths, or the work of installing them.
  • The lathing was complete and ready for the plasterers.
• Lathe (noun): CAUTION: This is a different word. A lathe is a machine for shaping wood, metal, or other material by rotating it against a cutting tool.

Synonyms

• Slat
• Strip
• Batten
• Furring strip

Related Idioms

• "As thin as a lath": An idiom describing a person who is very thin or skinny.
  • After his illness, he was as thin as a lath.

Noun

1. a narrow thin strip of wood used as backing for plaster or to make latticework