Definition of: lath

(lath, läth) noun
1. A thin strip of wood or metal, as one of a number nailed to studs or beams and serving to support a coat of plaster, or on rafters to support shingles or slates.
2. An angle-iron forming the support for an iron roof.
3. Laths taken collectively; lathwork.
4. Figuratively, a thin, slender, or delicate person or thing.
—v.t. To cover or line with laths. [Prob, fusion of OE lætt and OE læth (assumed);? infl. in form by Welsh llath]
—lath′er noun