Thin narrow strips of wood nailed to ceiling joists, studding, or rafters as a groundwork for receiving plastering.
metal lath, metal lathing, steel lathing
metal lathA base for plaster fabricated: (a) by slitting metal and then stretching it to form a diamond-shaped mesh or (b) by punching and forming sheet metal. Usually classified as rib lath, diamond-mesh lath, sheet lath, or wire lath.