timber

See also: Timber

English

WOTD – 16 August 2006

Etymology 1

From Middle English tymber, from Old English timber, from Proto-West Germanic *timr, from Proto-Germanic *timrą, from Proto-Indo-European *dem- (“build, house”) (see Proto-Indo-European *dṓm).

Cognates include Dutch timmer, Old High German zimbar (German Zimmer), Norwegian tømmer, Old Norse timbr, Gothic 𐍄𐌹𐌼𐍂𐌾𐌰𐌽 (timrjan, “to build”), Latin domus and Ancient Greek δόμος (dómos).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈtɪmbə/, (interjecting) IPA^(key): [ˈtɪˑmˌbəː]
• (General American) enPR: tĭmʹbər, IPA^(key): /ˈtɪmbɚ/, (interjecting) IPA^(key): [ˈtɪˑmˌbɚː]

• Audio (US); “timber” (noun):

  (file)

• Audio (General Australian); “timber” (noun):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪmbə(ɹ)
• Homophone: timbre (for one US pronunciation)
• Hyphenation: tim‧ber

Noun

timber (countable and uncountable, plural timbers)

1. (uncountable) Trees in a forest regarded as a source of wood.

   collect timber

   cut down timber

2. (outside Canada, US, uncountable) Wood that has been pre-cut and is ready for use in construction.
3. (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.

   the timbers of a ship

4. Material for any structure.
5. (firearms, informal) The wooden stock of a rifle or shotgun.
6. (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.
7. (cricket, slang) The stumps.

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

Derived terms

• belly-timber
• Big Timber
• bond timber
• compass timber
• half-timber
• half-timbered
• hawse timber
• horn timber
• jack timber
• put some timber on
• shiver me timbers
• timber camp
• timber circle
• timberclad
• timber drawer
• timbered
• timber fly
• timber framing
• timber hitch
• Timber Lake
• timberland
• timberline
• timber line
• timber merchant
• timber nigger
• timber rafting
• timber rattlesnake
• timber-toe
• timber wolf
• timberyard
• virgin timber

Translations

trees considered as a source of wood

• Arabic: خَشَب (ar) m (ḵašab)
• Armenian: անտառանյութ (hy) (antaṙanyutʻ), փայտանյութ (hy) (pʻaytanyutʻ)
• Azerbaijani: oduncaq (az)
• Belarusian: драўні́на f (draŭnína)
• Bulgarian: дъ́рвен материа́л m (dǎ́rven materiál)
• Burmese: သစ် (my) (sac)
• Catalan: fusta (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 木材 (zh) (mùcái)

• Danish: tømmer (da) c
• Dutch: kaphout (nl) n, hout (nl) n
• Finnish: puu (fi), puusto (fi)
• French: bois (fr) m, arbres (fr) m pl
• Galician: madeira (gl) f
• German: Holz (de) n, Nutzholz n
• Greek: ξυλεία (el) f (xyleía)
• Icelandic: viður (is) m, timbur (is) n
• Irish: adhmad (ga) m
• Italian: legno (it) m
• Japanese: 木材 (ja) (もくざい, mokuzai), 材木 (ja) (ざいもく, zaimoku)
• Kazakh: бөрене (börene)
• Korean: 목재(木材) (ko) (mokjae), 제목(材木) (ko) (jemok)
• Kurdish:

  Northern Kurdish: dar (ku) f

• Lithuanian: mediena f, rąstas m
• Malay: balak (ms)
• Malayalam: മരം (ml) (maraṁ)
• Munsee: ăpánzhuy
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: tømmer (no) n

• Old English: timber n
• Persian:

  Iranian Persian: اَلْوار (alvâr)

• Polish: drzewa (pl) pl
• Portuguese: madeira (pt) f
• Russian: лес на корню́ m (les na kornjú), строево́й лес m (strojevój les), древеси́на (ru) f (drevesína)
• Sanskrit: काष्ठ (sa) n (kāṣṭha)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: дрва n pl

  Roman: drva (sh) n pl

• Spanish: madera (es) f, leña (es) f
• Swahili: mbao (sw)
• Swedish: trä (sv) n
• Telugu: కలప (te) (kalapa)
• Turkish: kerestelik (tr) orman (tr), ahşap (tr)
• Ukrainian: деревина́ (uk) f (derevyná)
• Welsh: pren (cy) m

wood that has been cut ready for construction

• Arabic: خَشَب (ar) m (ḵašab)
• Armenian: ատաղձ (hy) (ataġj), շինափայտ (hy) (šinapʻayt), փայտանյութ (hy) (pʻaytanyutʻ), փայտեղեն (hy) (pʻayteġen)
• Belarusian: лесаматэрыя́л m (ljesamateryjál)
• Bulgarian: дърво́ (bg) n (dǎrvó), дъ́рвен материа́л m (dǎ́rven materiál)
• Burmese: သစ် (my) (sac)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 木料 (zh) (mùliào), 木材 (zh) (mùcái)

• Dutch: hout (nl) n, timmerhout (nl) n
• Finnish: puu (fi), puutavara (fi)
• French: bois de charpente m, bois de construction m, bois de menuiserie m
• Galician: madeira (gl) f
• German: Holz (de) n, Bauholz (de) n, Schnittholz n, Konstruktionsholz n, Konstruktionsvollholz n
• Greek: ξυλεία (el) f (xyleía)
• Hungarian: épületfa (hu)
• Icelandic: viður (is) m, timbur (is) n
• Italian: legname (it) m
• Japanese: 材木 (ja) (ざいもく, zaimoku), 木材 (ja) (もくざい, mokuzai)
• Korean: 재목(材木) (ko) (jaemok)
• Kurdish:

  Northern Kurdish: dar (ku) f

• Luhya: embao
• Malayalam: മരം (ml) (maraṁ)
• Meru: mpao
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: trevirke n

• Old English: timber n
• Ottoman Turkish: كرسته (kereste)
• Polish: drewno (pl) n
• Portuguese: madeira (pt) f
• Romanian: cherestea (ro) f
• Russian: пиломатериа́лы (ru) m pl (pilomateriály), лесоматериа́л (ru) m (lesomateriál), деревоматериа́л m (derevomateriál)
• Sanskrit: काष्ठ (sa) n (kāṣṭha), दारु (sa) n (dāru)
• Scottish Gaelic: fiodh m
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: др̏во n

  Roman: dȑvo (sh) n

• Spanish: leño (es) m, madero (es) m
• Swahili: mbao (sw)
• Swedish: virke (sv) n, timmer (sv) n
• Tagalog: baol
• Telugu: కలప (te) (kalapa)
• Turkish: kereste (tr)
• Ukrainian: лісоматеріа́л m (lisomateriál)
• Walloon: mairin (wa) m, bwès d' tcherpinte m
• Welsh: pren (cy) m

beam used to support something such as a roof or a ship

• Armenian: գերան (hy) (geran), հեծան (hy) (hecan)
• Bulgarian: греда́ (bg) f (gredá)
• Catalan: biga (ca) f
• Dutch: dakbalk (nl) m, balk (nl) m
• Finnish: hirsi (fi), kurkihirsi (fi)
• French: madrier (fr), poutre (fr); membrure (fr) [ship]
• Galician: trabe (gl) f
• German: Stiel (de) m, Balken (de) m, Säule (de) f, Stütze (de) f
• Greek: δοκάρι (el) n (dokári)
• Irish: ánshraith f (roof)
• Japanese: 梁 (ja) (はり, hari)
• Korean: 들보 (ko) (deulbo)
• Kurdish:

  Northern Kurdish: karîte (ku) m

• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: takbjelke m

• Portuguese: viga (pt) f
• Russian: ба́лка (ru) f (bálka)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Roman: stalak (sh) m

• Spanish: madero (es) m, viga (es) f, polín m
• Swahili: mbao (sw)

Interjection

timber!

1. Used by loggers to warn others that a tree being felled is falling.
   • 1961, Robert S. Close, With Hooves of Brass, Sydney: Horwitz Publications, page 34:

     From the core of the trunk come explosive cracks sounding like rifle-fire. The top of the tree begins swaying drunkenly, as if struggling to keep on its feet. The warning cry "Timber!"

2. By extension, a cry used when anything is falling over.
   • 1991, Rex Mossop, The Moose That Roared, Sydney: Ironbark Press, page 160:

     The cameras caught the big man crashing to the studio floor. It seemed to take an age for Sticks to hit the deck and as he went down we all chorused "Timberrrr!"

Translations

warning shout used by loggers

• Arabic: خَشَب (ar) (ḵašab)!
• Dutch: onderuit (nl)!, van onderen
• Finnish: puu kaatuu!
• French: gare (fr)!, attention (fr)!
• German: Baum fällt!
• Hungarian: dől a fa!
• Icelandic: timbur (is)!
• Portuguese: madeira (pt)!
• Russian: побереги́сь (ru) (poberegísʹ)!
• Serbo-Croatian: drvo pada!
• Spanish: fuera abajo, árbol va, tronco va
• Swahili: mbao (sw)
• Swedish: timmer (sv)!
• Thai: ไม้ล้ม (mái lóm)

Verb

timber (third-person singular simple present timbers, present participle timbering, simple past and past participle timbered)

1. (transitive) To fit with timbers.

   timbering a roof

2. (transitive, obsolete) To construct, frame, build.
   • 1646, Thomas Browne, Pseudodoxia Epidemica‎^[1], London: Edw. Dod & Nath. Ekins, published 1650, Book I, Chapter 5, p. 14:

     For many heads that undertake [learning], were never squared nor timbred for it.

3. (falconry, intransitive) To light or land on a tree.
4. (obsolete) To make a nest.
5. (transitive) To surmount as a timber does.

Etymology 2

Noun

timber

1. Misspelling of timbre.

Anagrams

• betrim, biterm, timbre

Norwegian Nynorsk

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtɪmbər/, /ˈtɪmːər/

Noun

timber n (definite singular timberet or timbret, uncountable)

1. (pre-1938) alternative form of tømmer

Old English

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *timr, 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, Old Norse timbr, Gothic 𐍄𐌹𐌼𐍂𐌾𐌰𐌽 (timrjan, “to build”), and Latin domus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtim.ber/

Noun

timber n

1. timber
2. building (both senses)

Declension

Strong a-stem:

	singular	plural
nominative	timber	timber
accusative	timber	timber
genitive	timbres	timbra
dative	timbre	timbrum

Derived terms

• andtimber
• timbran

Descendants

• Middle English: timber
  • English: timber
  • Scots: timmer, tymmer, tymer

Old Swedish

Etymology

From Old Norse timbr, from Proto-Germanic *timrą.

Noun

timber n

1. timber; wood used for building

Declension

Declension of timbr (strong a-stem)

neuter	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	timbr	timbrit	timbr	timbrin
accusative	timbr	timbrit	timbr	timbrin
dative	timbri, timbre	timbrinu, timbreno	timbrum, timbrom	timbrumin, timbromen
genitive	timbrs	timbrsins	timbra	timbranna

Descendants

• Swedish: timmer