noun
stud
An upright support in a wall's frame.
She screws the shelf bracket into a stud behind the drywall.
Etymology
Old English studu means a post or support. The wall-framing sense directly preserves that upright structural member.
More examples
- The carpenter spaces the studs sixteen inches apart.
- This interior wall has metal studs instead of wooden ones.
- Use a stud finder before hanging the heavy mirror.
Forms
stud · studs
studding noun — The upright members forming a wall frame.