Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Timber
Tim′ber
,Noun.
[Probably the same word as
timber
sort of wood; cf. Sw. timber
, LG. timmer
, MHG. zimber
, G. zimmer
, F. timbre
, LL. timbrium
. Cf. Timmer
.] (Com.)
A certain quantity of fur skins, as of martens, ermines, sables, etc., packed between boards; being in some cases forty skins, in others one hundred and twenty; – called also
timmer
. [Written also
timbre
.] Tim′ber
,Verb.
T.
To surmount as a timber does.
[Obs.]
Tim′ber
,Noun.
[AS.
timbor
, timber
, wood, building; akin to OFries. timber
, D. timmer
a room, G. zimmer
, OHG. zimbar
timber, a dwelling, room, Icel. timbr
timber, Sw. timmer
, Dan. tömmer
, Goth. timrjan
to build, timrja
a builder, L. domus
a house, Gr. [GREEK] house, [GREEK] to build, Skr. dama
a house. √62. Cf. Dome
, Domestic
.] 1.
That sort of wood which is proper for buildings or for tools, utensils, furniture, carriages, fences, ships, and the like; – usually said of felled trees, but sometimes of those standing. Cf.
Lumber
, 3. And ta’en my fiddle to the gate, . . .
And fiddled in the
And fiddled in the
timber
! Tennyson.
2.
The body, stem, or trunk of a tree.
3.
Fig.: Material for any structure.
Such dispositions are the very errors of human nature; and yet they are the fittest
timber
to make politics of. Bacon.
4.
A single piece or squared stick of wood intended for building, or already framed; collectively, the larger pieces or sticks of wood, forming the framework of a house, ship, or other structure, in distinction from the covering or boarding.
So they prepared
timber
. . . to build the house. 1 Kings v. 18.
Many of the
timbers
were decayed. W. Coxe.
5.
Woods or forest; wooden land.
[Western U. S.]
6.
(Shipbuilding)
A rib, or a curving piece of wood, branching outward from the keel and bending upward in a vertical direction. One timber is composed of several pieces united.
Timber and room
. (Shipbuilding)
Same as
– Room and space
. See under Room
. Timber beetle
(Zool.)
, any one of numerous species of beetles the larvae of which bore in timber;
– as, the silky
. timber beetle
(Lymexylon sericeum
)Timber doodle
(Zool.)
, the American woodcock.
[Local, U. S.]
– Timber grouse
(Zool.)
, any species of grouse that inhabits woods, as the ruffed grouse and spruce partridge; – distinguished from prairie grouse.
– Timber hitch
(Naut.)
, a kind of hitch used for temporarily marking fast a rope to a spar. See Illust. under
– Hitch
. Timber mare
, a kind of instrument upon which soldiers were formerly compelled to ride for punishment.
Johnson.
– Timber scribe
, a metal tool or pointed instrument for marking timber.
Simmonds.
– Timber sow
. (Zool.)
Same as
Timber worm
, below. Bacon.
– Timber tree
, a tree suitable for timber.
– Timber worm
(Zool.)
, any larval insect which burrows in timber.
– Timber yard
, a yard or place where timber is deposited.
Tim′ber
,Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Timbered
; p. pr. & vb. n.
Timbering
.] To furnish with timber; – chiefly used in the past participle.
His bark is stoutly
timbered
. Shakespeare
Tim′ber
,Verb.
I.
1.
To light on a tree.
[Obs.]
2.
(Falconry)
To make a nest.
Webster 1828 Edition
Timber
TIM'BER
,Noun.
1.
That sort of wood which is proper for building or for tools, utensils, furniture, carriages, fences, ships and the like. We apply the word to standing trees which are suitable for the uses above mentioned, as a forest contains excellent timber; or to the beams, rafters, scantling, boards, planks, &c. hewed or sawed from such trees. Of all the species of trees useful as timber, in our climate, the white oak and the white pine hold the first place in importance.2.
The body or stem of a tree.3.
The materials; in irony. Such dispositions--are the fittest timber to make politics of.
4.
A single piece or squared stick of wood for building, or already framed. Many of the timbers were decayed.
5.
In ships, a timber is a rib or curving piece of wood, branching outward from the keel in a vertical direction. One timber is composed of several pieces united in one frame.TIM'BER
,Verb.
T.
TIM'BER
,Verb.
I.
1.
In falconry, to make a nest.Timber or timmer of furs, as of martens, ermines, sables and the like, denotes forty skins; of other skins, one hundred and twenty.
Timber of ermine, in heraldry, denote the ranks or rows of ermine in noblemen's coats.
Definition 2024
Timber
timber
timber
See also: Timber
English
Noun
timber (plural timbers)
- (uncountable) Trees in a forest regarded as a source of wood.
- (Britain, uncountable) Wood that has been pre-cut and is ready for use in construction.
- (countable) A heavy wooden beam, generally a whole log that has been squared off and used to provide heavy support for something such as a roof. Historically also used in the plural, as in "ship's timbers".
- (archaic) A certain quantity of fur skins (as of martens, ermines, sables, etc.) packed between boards; in some cases forty skins, in others one hundred and twenty. Also timmer, timbre.
- (firearms, informal) The wooden stock of a rifle or shotgun.
Synonyms
- (trees considered as a source of wood): timberland, forest
- (wood that has been cut ready for construction): lumber (US), wood
- (beam used to support a roof): beam, rafter
Hyponyms
- (wooden beam used to provide support): crosstree
Translations
trees considered as a source of wood
|
|
wood that has been cut ready for construction
|
|
beam used to support something such as a roof or a ship
Derived terms
Derived terms
Interjection
timber!
- Used by loggers to warn others that a tree being felled is falling.
Translations
warning shout used by loggers
Verb
timber (third-person singular simple present timbers, present participle timbering, simple past and past participle timbered)
- (transitive) To fit with timbers.
- timbering a roof
- (falconry, intransitive) To light or land on a tree.
- (obsolete) To make a nest.
- To surmount as a timber does.
Anagrams
Old English
Etymology
From Proto-Germanic *timrą, from Proto-Indo-European *dem- (“build, house”) (see Proto-Indo-European *dṓm). Cognates include Old Saxon timbar, Old High German zimbar (German Zimmer), Old Norse timbr, Gothic 𐍄𐌹𐌼𐍂𐌾𐌰𐌽 (timrjan, “to build”), and Latin domus.
Noun
timber n
Old Swedish
Etymology
From Old Norse timbr, from Proto-Germanic *timrą.
Noun
timber n
Declension
Declension of timber (a-stem)
Descendants
- Swedish: timmer