Lath

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /lɑːθ/

Definitions

1. A thin, flat strip of wood used as a foundation for tiles or plaster or as a framework in construction
2. A slender piece of timber applied in building methods to support surfaces or as an element within walls
3. A narrow slat employed mainly in the structural work of roofs or walls, often for attaching other materials

Etymology: Lath is one of those words whose English meaning has changed very little while its spelling has drifted a great deal. Its Middle English forms were "laththe" and "laþþe", which were altered from the earlier "lathe" and "laþe", and before that it was the Old English "lætt". Behind all of these lies a Proto-Germanic "laþô", which is also the source of Dutch "lat" and German "Latte", so the same thin strip of timber has been named in much the same way across the Germanic languages for well over a thousand years. The deeper root is Proto-Indo-European "*(s)lat-", and the Welsh "llath", meaning rod, wand or yard, is a distant cousin of the English word. The parallel is a useful reminder that the idea behind lath is simply a long, slender rod, which is exactly what a builder needs when nailing rows of thin strips across rafters to hold up plaster or roof tiles.

Synonyms: slat, strip, plank, batten, sheathing