Standard Lemma guide

joist

noun · verb · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /d͡ʒɔɪst/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɔɪst
  • CMU ARPABET: JH OY1 S T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A piece of timber or steel laid horizontally, or nearly so, to which the planks of the floor, or the laths or furring strips of a ceiling, are nailed.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To fit or furnish with joists.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

beam used to support floors or roofs

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: beam

Narrower terms: floor joist, trimmer, trimmer joist

History

Etymology

From Old French giste, feminine of gist, the past participle of gesir (“to lie down”).

Across languages

Translations

36 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: напречник (naprečnik) — piece of timber
  • Czech: nosník — piece of timber
  • Czech: trám — piece of timber
  • Czech: trámek — piece of timber
  • Finnish: vasa — piece of timber
  • French: solive — piece of timber
  • Galician: pontón — piece of timber
  • Galician: cango — piece of timber
  • Georgian: კოჭი (ḳoč̣i) — piece of timber
  • Georgian: დირე (dire) — piece of timber
  • Georgian: კადონი (ḳadoni) — piece of timber
  • Georgian: ნივნივი (nivnivi) — piece of timber
  • German: Balken — piece of timber
  • German: Querbalken — piece of timber
  • German: Holzbalken — piece of timber
  • German: Deckenbalken — piece of timber
  • German: Unterzug — piece of timber
  • German: Schwelle — piece of timber
  • German: Träger — piece of timber
  • German: Tragbalken — piece of timber
  • German: Dachbalken — piece of timber
  • Hungarian: gerenda — piece of timber
  • Hungarian: ászokfa — piece of timber
  • Irish: giarsa — piece of timber
  • Latin: gistura — piece of timber
  • Malay: gelegar — piece of timber
  • Malay: jeliau — piece of timber
  • Māori: kurupae — piece of timber
  • Māori: tauwhenua — piece of timber
  • Eastern Mari: авагашта (avagašta) — piece of timber
  • Norman: rouai — piece of timber
  • Polish: legar — piece of timber
  • Lower Sorbian: bałka — piece of timber
  • Lower Sorbian: drjewno — piece of timber
  • Ottoman Turkish: قوغوش (koğuş) — piece of timber
  • Finnish: vasoittaa — to furnish with joists