- Bat: It is the portion of the brick cut across the width.
 Thus a bat is smaller in length than the full brick. If the length of the bat is equal to the half the length of the original brick, it is known as half bat. A three quarter bat is the one having its length equal to three quarters of the length of a full brick. If a bat has its width beveled, it is known as beveled bat.
- Perpend: It is that vertical joint on the face of the wall, which lies directly above the vertical joints in alternate courses.
- Frog: It is an indentation or depression on the top of a brick made with the object of forming a key for the mortar. This prevents the displacement of the brick above.
- Through Stone: A through stone is a stone header. Through stones are placed across the
 wall at regular interval. If the thickness of the wall is small, through stone may be of length equal to the full width of the wall. If, however the wall is considerably thick, two through stones with an overlap are provided. Through stones should be strong, and non-porous, and should be of sufficient thickness.
- Sill: The bottom surface of a door or a window opening is known as a sill. Sill is the horizontal members of brick, stone, concrete or wood provided to give support for the vertical members of the opening, and also to shed off rain water from the face of the wall immediately below the opening. Sill stones, when provided, are so dressed that they prevent the entry of water to the interior of the building.
- Lintel: It is a horizontal member of stone, brick, wood, steel or reinforced concrete, used to support the masonry and the super – imposed load above an opening.
- Plinth: Plinth is the horizontal projecting course of stone or brick, provided at the base of the wall above the ground level. Plinth raises the level, of ground floor above the natural ground level, thus protecting the building from the rain, water, frost and other weather effects.
- Plinth Coarse: It is the uppermost course of the plinth masonry.
- String Coarse: It is the continuous horizontal course of masonry, projecting from the face of the wall for shedding rain water off the face. It is generally provided at every floor and sill level. A string course breaks the monotony of a plane surface, and thus imparts aesthetic appearance to the structure. The string course is suitably weathered and throated so as to throw off water clear of the wall surface.
- Jambs: Jambs are the vertical sides of a finished opening for the door or window. Jambs
 may be plain or splayed or may be provided with the recess to receive the frames of doors and windows.
- Reveals: These are the exposed vertical surface left on the sides of an opening after the door or window frame has been fitted in position.
- Corbel: A corbel is a projecting stone which is usually provided to serve as support fo
 r joist, truss, weather shed etc. Corbels are generally moulded and given ornamental treatment. Corbels should extend at least two thirds of their length into the wall, so that they do not overturn or come out of the wall.
- Cornice: It is a projecting ornamental course near the top of a wall or at the junction of the wall and the ceiling. It penetrates the full width of wall. It is weathered and throated to dispose of rain water. In order to prevent overturning of cornice, extra weight in the form of parapet wall should be provided.
- Coping: It is a covering of stone, concrete, brick of terracotta, placed on the expos
 ed top of a wall, to prevent seepage of water. It may also be provided on the top of compound wall. A coping is suitably weathered and throated .
- Weathering: It is the term used to denote the provision of the slope on the upper surface as sills, cornices, string courses, copings etc.
- Throating: It is a groove provided on the underside of the projecting elements such as sills, cornices, coping etc so that rain water can be discharged clear of the wall surface.
- Parapet: It is the portion of low height wall constructed along the edge of the roof to protect the users. Parapet acts as protective solid balustrade for the users.
- Arch: Arch is a structural construction of masonry constructed by mechanical arrang
 ement of wedge shaped blocks of stone or brick arranged in the form of a curve supporting wall or load above the opening.
- Gable: It is a triangular shaped masonry work, provided at the ends of a sloped roof.
- Freeze: It is a course of stone placed immediately below the cornice, along the external face of the wall.
- Blocking Course: It is another course of stone placed immediately above the cornice. Apart from improving the appearance of the wall, it adds to the stability of the cornice against overturning.
- Toothing: These are the bricks left projecting in alternate courses for the purpose of bonding future masonry work.
- Lacing Course: It is the horizontal course of stone blocks provided to strengthe
 n awall made of irregular courses of small stones.
- Spalls: Spalls are the chips or small piece of stones obtained as a result of reducing big blocks of stones into the regular stone blocks. These spalls are used in filling the interstices of stone masonry.
- Stoollings: These are the horizontal stones provided to receive jambs and mullions. These are formed at the ends of sills, transoms and heads.
- Template or Bed Block: It is defined as the block of stone or concrete provided under a beam or girder to distribute the concentrated load over a greater area of the bearing surface.
- Column: It is a vertical load bearing members of masonry, which is constructed in isolation from the wall.
- Pier or Pilaster: Pier is an isolated vertical mass of stone or brick masonry to support beams, lintels, arch etc; the width of which exceeds four times its thickness.
- Buttress: It is a sloping or stepped masonry projection from a tall wall intended to strengthen the wall against the thrust of a roof or arch.
- Offsets: These are the narrow horizontal surfaces which are formed by reducing the thickness of the wall. Walls of tall buildings are formed with offsets. Similarly offsets are also provided in masonry footings.
- Thresh Holds: Thresh hold is the arrangement of steps provided from the
 plinth level of external door of verandah to the ground level. These may consist of stone, brick or concrete and are constructed at the last stage of construction activities of the building. The section of a wall given in the figure below can be studied to understand the various technical names explained above.
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