A long, strong piece of wood, steel, or concrete that supports floors or ceilings in a building. Many joists are placed side by side to hold up the structure.
From Old French “joiste,” meaning “beam or support,” related to “jouster” (to join or meet), from Latin “iungere,” “to join.” The word came into English building vocabulary in the Middle Ages. The idea is of beams that join and support the structure.
Joists are the hidden ribs of a building—you usually never see them, but you walk on their work every day. Their name is related to words about joining and meeting, because they tie the structure together. Learning the word is like getting X-ray vision for floors and ceilings.
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