A
brick is a block, or a single unit of a
ceramic material used in
masonry construction, usually stacked together, or laid using various kinds of
mortar to hold the bricks together and make a permanent structure.
[1] Bricks are typically produced in common or standard sizes in bulk quantities. They have been regarded as one of the longest lasting and strongest
building materials used throughout history.
In the general sense, a "brick" is a standard-sized weight-bearing building unit. Bricks are laid in horizontal courses, sometimes dry and sometimes with
mortar. When the term is used in this sense, the brick might be made from
clay, lime-and-sand, concrete, or shaped stone. In a less clinical and more colloquial sense, bricks are made from dried earth, usually from clay-bearing subsoil. In some cases, such as adobe, the brick is merely dried. More commonly it is fired in a kiln of some sort to form a true ceramic.
