lath

IPA/lɑːθ/
KK[lˈæθ]IPA/læθ/

lath — noun

  • lathsingular
  • lathsplural

1. a slender flat piece of timber that builders fix in rows behind plaster on a wal

1.nounC2
Definition

a slender flat piece of timber that builders fix in rows behind plaster on a wall, or under roof tiles, so the surface above has something solid to hold onto.

Example

Beatrix pried a broken lath away from the bedroom ceiling and brushed off the dust.

singular count noun: 'a broken lath'

The carpenter nailed wooden laths across the wall studs before the plasterer arrived.

plural use with verb 'nail': 'nailed wooden laths'

Common collocations
  • wooden lath
  • narrow lath
  • nail laths to
  • lath and plaster
  • rows of laths
Synonyms
  • batten

    thicker and stronger than a lath; used for more load-bearing roof fixings

  • slat

    general term for any thin flat strip of wood; less specifically a builder's term

  • strip

    very general; only means a 'lath' when the building context is already clear

Grammar Patterns

a lath of [material]

nail [something] to laths

Usage Note

Usually plural ('laths') because the strips are installed in rows. Common in older buildings with 'lath and plaster' walls; modern construction has largely replaced this with plasterboard.

Common Mistakes

The builder put one lath on the wall and then plastered it.
The builder put rows of laths on the wall and then plastered them.
laths only work in rows; a single lath has no plastering function on its own.
The roof was made of lath.
The roof tiles were nailed to wooden laths.
laths are the support beneath the roof covering, not the roof itself.

Word family

  • lathing
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words name a long thin piece of wood, but a builder picks between them based on thickness and job. A 'lath' is the thinnest — a flexible strip nailed in rows so plaster or roof tiles have a surface to grip onto. A 'batten' is thicker and squarer in section, strong enough to hold heavier loads such as a tiled roof or a wall panel. A 'slat' is the most general kitchen-table word, used for the flat strips inside window blinds, bed bases, or wooden fences, with no special builder's meaning. A 'strip' is the broadest term of all — any narrow piece of wood — and only means 'lath' if someone has already said the topic is building work. In a sentence: 'the old wall has lath and plaster behind it' (builder's lath), but 'the blind has wooden slats' (everyday slats).

lath ↗batten ↗slat ↗strip ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • lath and plaster
  • wooden lath
  • roof lath

Phrases

  • nail laths to the studs
  • rows of laths

Prepositions

  • under (the roof tiles)
  • behind (the plaster)
  • across (the studs)

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishModern English

Comes from Old English 'lætt', meaning a thin strip of wood, with related forms in Old High German and Middle Dutch. The word has been used in English building work since at least the 1300s, when wattle-and-daub walls were reinforced with thin wooden strips, and the technique evolved into the 'lath and plaster' method common in European buildings up to the early 20th century.