plate
The horizontal framing member at the top of a wall. Photo from Metuchen, New Jersey, 2023. 2. A rigid, planar, usually monolithic structure that disperses applied loads in a multidirectional pattern, with the loads generally following the shortest and stiffest routes to the supports. 3. A thin, flat sheet or piece of metal, especially one of uniform thickness. 4. Any of the huge movable segments into which the earth’s crust is divided. (Ching, 1995)