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Synonyms

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.

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

"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

verb

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

"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

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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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 • Oct. 6, 2025

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 • Oct. 18, 2024

The heavy plaster, mixed with Portland cement, more than three inches thick and applied to a lath of chicken wire, required an ax to break through.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 5, 2023

Readings on lath and plaster can be misleading, though, so if that’s what you have, look for nails in baseboards, which should point to studs, or for electrical outlets, which usually have a stud alongside.

From Washington Post • May 2, 2022

A smile of lath opened amid powdery fallout.

From "Typical American" by Gish Jen

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.