A lattice is a pattern made of strips that cross over each other diagonally, creating a series of diamond or square-shaped openings. Picture a pie crust with strips of dough woven across the top so you can see the filling peeking through the gaps. That crisscross pattern is a lattice.

Lattices appear everywhere once you start noticing them. Garden fences often use a lattice design, with thin wooden strips crossing at angles to create spaces for climbing plants. Window guards in old castles featured iron lattices, strong enough to keep intruders out while still letting light and air flow through. Even crystal structures at the atomic level form lattices, with atoms arranged in repeating geometric patterns, though you'd need a powerful microscope to see them.

Bakers create lattice tops on pies not just because they look beautiful, but because the openings let steam escape so the crust stays crisp instead of getting soggy.