Latticing

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. The creation of a framework formed by crossing strips or bars
2. The process of arranging strips or bars in a crisscross pattern to create a supportive or decorative framework
3. Constructing a grid-like structure by intersecting slender pieces arranged in a repeated pattern

Etymology: "Latticing" is simply "lattice" with the suffix "-ing" added, so its story is really the story of the noun it grows from. A lattice is a framework of crossed or interlaced strips, and the verb describes the act of making or covering something with such a framework, or of marking it with crossing lines. The base word "lattice" has a long history of its own, and its earliest sense was the physical grille or screen it names. Over time the noun spread to mean any open, criss-crossed structure, from garden trellises to the regular arrangement of atoms in a crystal. Because the verb simply adds "-ing" to that noun, it inherits the same core idea: weaving or crossing thin strips so that gaps remain between them.

Synonyms: interlacing, cross-hatching