The Collaborative International Dictionary
Girder \Gird"er\, n. [From Gird to encircle.]
One who, or that which, girds.
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(Arch. & Engin.) A main beam; a stright, horizontal beam to span an opening or carry weight, such as ends of floor beams, etc.; hence, a framed or built-up member discharging the same office, technically called a compound girder. See Illusts. of Frame, and Doubleframed floor, under Double.
Bowstring girder, Box girder, etc. See under Bowstring, Box, etc.
Girder bridge. See under Bridge.
Lattice girder, a girder consisting of longitudinal bars united by diagonal crossing bars.
Half-lattice girder, a girder consisting of horizontal upper and lower bars connected by a series of diagonal bars sloping alternately in opposite directions so as to divide the space between the bars into a series of triangles.
--Knight.Sandwich girder, a girder consisting of two parallel wooden beams, between which is an iron plate, the whole clamped together by iron bolts.
Lattice \Lat"tice\, n. [OE. latis, F. lattis lathwork, fr. latte lath. See Latten, 1st Lath.]
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Any work of wood, metal, plastic, or other solid material, made by crossing a series of parallel laths, or thin strips, with another series at a diagonal angle, and forming a network with openings between the strips; as, the lattice of a window; -- called also latticework.
The mother of Sisera looked out at a window, and cried through the lattice.
--Judg. v. 28. (Her.) The representation of a piece of latticework used as a bearing, the bands being vertical and horizontal.
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(Crystallography) The arrangement of atoms or molecules in a crystal, represented as a repeating arrangement of points in space, each point representing the location of an atom or molecule; called also crystal lattice and space lattice.
Lattice bridge, a bridge supported by lattice girders, or latticework trusses.
Lattice girder (Arch.), a girder of which the wed consists of diagonal pieces crossing each other in the manner of latticework.
Lattice plant (Bot.), an aquatic plant of Madagascar ( Ouvirandra fenestralis), whose leaves have interstices between their ribs and cross veins, so as to resemble latticework. A second species is Ouvirandra Berneriana. The genus is merged in Aponogeton by recent authors.