Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition

Beam

Beam

(bēm)
,
Noun.
[AS.
beám
beam, post, tree, ray of light; akin to OFries.
bām
tree, OS.
bōm
, D.
boom
, OHG.
boum
,
poum
, G.
baum
, Icel.
baðmr
, Goth.
bagms
and Gr.
φῦμα
a growth,
φῦναι
to become, to be. Cf. L.
radius
staff, rod, spoke of a wheel, beam or ray, and G.
strahl
arrow, spoke of a wheel, ray or beam, flash of lightning. √97. See
Be
; cf.
Boom
a spar.]
1.
Any large piece of timber or iron long in proportion to its thickness, and prepared for use.
2.
One of the principal horizontal timbers of a building or ship.
The
beams
of a vessel are strong pieces of timber stretching across from side to side to support the decks.
Totten.
3.
The width of a vessel;
as, one vessel is said to have more
beam
than another
.
4.
The bar of a balance, from the ends of which the scales are suspended.
The doubtful
beam
long nods from side to side.
Pope.
5.
The principal stem or horn of a stag or other deer, which bears the antlers, or branches.
6.
The pole of a carriage.
[Poetic]
Dryden.
7.
A cylinder of wood, making part of a loom, on which weavers wind the warp before weaving; also, the cylinder on which the cloth is rolled, as it is woven; one being called the fore beam, the other the back beam.
8.
The straight part or shank of an anchor.
9.
The main part of a plow, to which the handles and colter are secured, and to the end of which are attached the oxen or horses that draw it.
10.
(Steam Engine)
A heavy iron lever having an oscillating motion on a central axis, one end of which is connected with the piston rod from which it receives motion, and the other with the crank of the wheel shaft; – called also
working beam
or
walking beam
.
11.
A ray or collection of parallel rays emitted from the sun or other luminous body;
as, a
beam
of light, or of heat
.
How far that little candle throws his
beams
!
Shakespeare
12.
(Fig.)
:
A ray; a gleam;
as, a
beam
of comfort
.
Mercy with her genial
beam
.
Keble.
13.
One of the long feathers in the wing of a hawk; – called also
beam feather
.
Abaft the beam
(Naut.)
,
in an arc of the horizon between a line that crosses the ship at right angles, or in the direction of her beams, and that point of the compass toward which her stern is directed.
–
Beam center
(Mach.)
,
the fulcrum or pin on which the working beam of an engine vibrates.
–
Beam compass
,
an instrument consisting of a rod or beam, having sliding sockets that carry steel or pencil points; – used for drawing or describing large circles.
–
Beam engine
,
a steam engine having a working beam to transmit power, in distinction from one which has its piston rod attached directly to the crank of the wheel shaft.
–
Before the beam
(Naut.)
,
in an arc of the horizon included between a line that crosses the ship at right angles and that point of the compass toward which the ship steers.
–
On the beam
,
in a line with the beams, or at right angles with the keel.
–
On the weather beam
,
on the side of a ship which faces the wind.
–
To be on her beam ends
,
to incline, as a vessel, so much on one side that her beams approach a vertical position.

Beam

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Beamed
(bēmd)
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Beaming
.]
To send forth; to emit; – followed ordinarily by
forth
;
as, to
beam
forth light
.

Beam

,
Verb.
I.
To emit beams of light.
He
beamed
, the daystar of the rising age.
Trumbull.

Webster 1828 Edition

Beam

BEAM

,
Noun.
[We see by the Gothic, that the word belongs to Class Bg. It properly signifies the stock or stem of a tree; that is, the fixed, firm part.]
1.
The largest, or a principal piece in a building, that lies across the walls, and serves to support the principal rafters.
2.
Any large piece of timber, long in proportion to its thickness, and squared, or hewed for use.
3.
The part of a balance, from the ends of which the scales are suspended; sometimes used for the whole apparatus for weighing.
4.
The part on the head of a stag, which bears the antlers, royals and tops.
5.
The pole of a carriage, which runs between the horses.
6.
A cylinder of wood, making part of a loom, on which weavers wind the warp before weaving; and this name is given also to the cylinder on which the cloth is rolled,as it is wove.
7.
The straight part or shank of an anchor.
8.
In ships, a great main cross timber, which holds the sides of a ship from falling together. The beams support the decks and orlops. The main beam is next the mainmast.
9.
The main piece of a plow, in which the plow-tails are fixed, and by which it is drawn.
10. Beam compass, an instrument consisting of a square wooden or brass beam, having sliding sockets, that carry steel or pencil points; used for describing large circles, and in large projections for drawing the furniture on wall-dials.
On the beam, in navigation, signified any distance from the ship, on a line with the beams, or at right angles with the keel.
Before the beam, is an arch of the horizon between a line that crosses the ship at right angles, or the line of the beam, and that point of the compass which she steers.
Beam ends. A vessel is said to be on her beam ends, when she inclines so much on one side that her beams approach a vertical position.
Beam-feathers, in falconry, the long feathers of a hawk's wing.

Definition 2024

beam

beam

English

Noun

beam ‎(plural beams)

  1. Any large piece of timber or iron long in proportion to its thickness, and prepared for use.
  2. One of the principal horizontal timbers of a building; one of the transverse members of a ship's frame on which the decks are laid — supported at the sides by knees in wooden ships and by stringers in steel ones.
  3. (nautical) The maximum width of a vessel.
    This ship has more beam than that one.
  4. The crossbar of a mechanical balance, from the ends of which the scales are suspended.
    • (Can we date this quote?) Alexander Pope
      The doubtful beam long nods from side to side.
  5. The principal stem of the antler of a deer.
  6. (literary) The pole of a carriage or chariot.
    • a 1700, André Dacier, John Dryden, “Life of Alexander”, in Plutarch's Lives, translation of original by Plutarch:
      Soon after this be subdued the Pisidians who made head against him, and conquered the Phrygians, at whose chief city Gordium (which is said to have been the seat of the ancient Midas) he saw the famous chariot fastened with cords made of the bark of the Cornel-Tree, and was informed that the inhabitants had a constant tradition, that the empire of the world was reserved for him who should untie the knot. Most are of opinion, that Alexander finding that he could not untie it, because the ends of it were secretly folded up within it, cut it asunder with his sword, so that several ends appeared. But Aristobulus tells us that he very easily undid it, by only pulling the pin out of the beam which fastened the yoke to it, and afterwards drawing out the yoke itself.
  7. (textiles) A cylinder of wood, making part of a loom, on which weavers wind the warp before weaving and the cylinder on which the cloth is rolled, as it is woven.
  8. The straight part or shank of an anchor.
  9. The central bar of a plow, to which the handles and colter are secured, and to the end of which are attached the oxen or horses that draw it.
  10. In steam engines, a heavy iron lever having an oscillating motion on a central axis, one end of which is connected with the piston rod from which it receives motion, and the other with the crank of the wheel shaft.
  11. A ray or collection of approximately parallel rays emitted from the sun or other luminous body.
    a beam of light
    a beam of energy
    • (Can we date this quote?) Shakespeare
      How far that little candle throws his beams!
    • 2011 September 22, Nick Collins, “Speed of light 'broken' by scientists”, in Daily Telegraph:
      A total of 15,000 beams of neutrinos were fired over a period of 3 years from CERN towards Gran Sassoin Italy, 730km (500 miles) away, where they were picked up by giant detectors.
  12. (figuratively) A ray; a gleam.
    a beam of hope, or of comfort
    • (Can we date this quote?) Keble
      Mercy with her genial beam.
  13. One of the long feathers in the wing of a hawk.
  14. (music) A horizontal bar which connects the stems of two or more notes to group them and to indicate metric value.
  15. (railway) An elevated rectangular dirt pile used to cheaply build an elevated portion of a railway.

Synonyms

  • (nautical): breadth
  • (heavy iron lever): working beam, walking beam
  • (hawk's feather): beam feather
  • see also wikisaurus:stick

Hyponyms

  • (textiles): fore beam, back beam

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

beam ‎(third-person singular simple present beams, present participle beaming, simple past and past participle beamed)

  1. (transitive, intransitive) To emit beams of light; shine; radiate.
    to beam forth light
  2. (intransitive, figuratively) To smile broadly or especially cheerfully.
  3. (transitive) To furnish or supply with beams
  4. (transitive) give the appearance of beams to.
  5. (transitive, science fiction) To transmit matter or information via a high-tech wireless mechanism.
    Beam me up, Scotty; there's no intelligent life down here.
  6. (transitive, currying) To stretch something (for example an animal hide) on a beam.
  7. (transitive, weaving) To put (something) on a beam
  8. (transitive, music) To connect (musical notes) with a beam, or thick line, in music notation.

Translations

Anagrams

German

Verb

beam

  1. Imperative singular of beamen.

Old English

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *baumaz. Cognate with Old Frisian bām, Old Saxon bām (Dutch boom), Old High German boum (German Baum). The word is related in some way to Gothic 𐌱𐌰𐌲𐌼𐍃 ‎(bagms), Old Norse baðmr, which are from the Proto-Germanic variant *bagmaz.

Pronunciation

Noun

bēam m ‎(nominative plural bēamas)

  1. tree
    on ðæs beames bledum‎
    on the branches of the tree
  2. the Cross
    Wæs se beam bocstafum awriten: the Cross was inscribed with letters (Codex Vercillensis)
  3. beam of wood

Declension

Descendants

Romanian

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [bʲam]

Verb

beam

  1. first-person singular imperfect form of bea.
  2. first-person plural imperfect form of bea.

West Frisian

Etymology

From Old Frisian bām, from Proto-Germanic *baumaz.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /bɪəm/

Noun

beam c (pl beammen, dim. beamke)

  1. tree

Etymology

From Middle English beem, from Old English bēam ‎(“tree, cross, gallows, column, pillar, wood, beam, splint, post, stock, rafter, piece of wood”), from Proto-Germanic *baumaz ‎(“tree, beam, balk”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰew- ‎(“to grow, swell”). Cognate with West Frisian beam ‎(“tree”), Low German Boom ‎(“tree”), Dutch boom ‎(“tree”), German Baum ‎(“tree”), Albanian bimë ‎(“a plant”).

The verb is from Middle English bemen, from Old English bēamian ‎(“to shine, to cast forth rays or beams of light”), from the noun.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /biːm/
  • Rhymes: -iːm
  • IPA(key): /bæːɑm/

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