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单词 timber
释义

timber

1 of 2

noun

tim·​ber ˈtim-bər How to pronounce timber (audio)
1
a
: growing trees or their wood
b
used interjectionally to warn of a falling tree
2
: wood suitable for building or for carpentry
3
a
: a large squared or dressed piece of wood ready for use or forming part of a structure
b
British : lumber sense 2a
c
: a curving frame branching outward from the keel of a ship and bending upward in a vertical direction that is usually composed of several pieces united : rib
4
: material, stuff
especially : a person or type of person qualified for a particular position or status
managerial timber
timber adjective

timber

2 of 2

verb

timbered; timbering ˈtim-b(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce timber (audio)

transitive verb

: to frame, cover, or support with timbers

Did you know?

Timber and Timbre

Timber and timbre are two similar-looking words that appear in very different contexts. At least most of the time.

Timber traces back to an Old English word initially meaning “house” or “building” that also came to mean “building material,” “wood,” and “trees” or “woods.” Timbers are large squared lengths of wood used for building a house or a boat. In British English, timber is also used as a synonym for lumber.

Metaphorical senses followed after centuries of the word’s use: the word used for building material became a word meaning “material” or “stuff” in general (“it’s best-seller timber”) and came also to refer to the qualities of character, experience, or intellect (“managerial timber”).

And, of course, there’s also the interjectional use of “timber!” as a cry to warn of a falling tree; the fact that most people know this despite few of them ever having deployed the word in such a situation is almost certainly due to cartoons.

Timbre is French in origin, which is apparent in its pronunciation: it is often pronounced \\TAM-ber\\ and, with a more French-influenced second syllable, \\TAM-bruh\\. The French ancestor of timbre was borrowed at three different times into English, each time with a different meaning, each time reflecting the evolution that the word had made in French.

The first two meanings timbre had in English (it referred to a kind of drum and to the crest on a coat of arms) are now too obscure for entry in this dictionary, but its third meaning survives. Timbre in modern English generally refers to the quality of a sound made by a particular voice or musical instrument; timbre is useful in being distinct from pitch, intensity, and loudness as a descriptor of sound.

But because English is rarely simple about such things, we have also these facts: timber is listed as a variant spelling of timbre. And timbre may also be correctly pronounced just like timber as \\TIM-ber\\. And the spelling of timber was unsettled for many years; it was sometimes spelled tymmer, tymber, and, yes, timbre. The messy overlapping of these similar words is coincidental: the consequence of the intersection of the different cultures and languages that left their traces on English.

Synonyms

Noun

  • forest
  • forestland
  • timberland
  • wood(s)
  • woodland
See all Synonyms & Antonyms

Example Sentences

Noun upon our approach the deer disappeared back into the timber from whence it had come needed a new load of timber to finish building the house
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The independent would be Betsy Johnson, the heir to a timber fortune and a former state legislator. David Lauter, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2022 The lying in state takes place at Westminster Hall, a 900-year-old building with an impressive timber roof. BostonGlobe.com, 14 Sep. 2022 That fire grew quickly throughout the day, doubling over about two hours to about 3 square miles, and was burning timber in rugged terrain, according to the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. CBS News, 10 Sep. 2022 The expansion will allow SmartLam to purchase high-strength timber from landowners throughout Central and Southern Alabama. William Thornton | Wthornton@al.com, al, 9 Sep. 2022 About 35 miles to the north, smoke loomed over ski runs in the San Bernardino Mountains as the Radford Fire fed on stands of timber south of the Big Bear Lake resort region. Bradford Betz, Fox News, 8 Sep. 2022 Instead of eliminating sources of fuel around people’s homes, private landowners planted invasive conifer trees to harvest the timber. Hannah Kingsley-ma, The New Republic, 7 Sep. 2022 Reporters also saw an unregistered truck hauling wood, the sort of logging that helps explain why European researchers are unable to identify the source of so much timber. Sarah Hurtes, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2022 The burls are part of a lucrative timber market that drives tree poaching in the Pacific Northwest and across the United States. Lyndsie Bourgon, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 Sep. 2022
Verb
Sales of construction and timber harvesting equipment climbed 8% as profit increased by 11%. Bob Tita And Connor Hart, WSJ, 19 Aug. 2022 That determines whether the state maintains its Forest Stewardship Council certification, which makes Wisconsin timber sales more competitive. Tanka Dhakal, Journal Sentinel, 5 Sep. 2022 The Arts & Crafts style interior features dark brown wood floors, timber joinery and bench-tops and tons of thoughtful touches. Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 3 Aug. 2022 Brick and timber low-rise buildings with ample natural light, garden space, high ceilings, ease of ingress and egress and amenities including gyms and dog parks are in. Hadley Meares, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 June 2022 As the trees grew, the family leased the land to timber companies, generating enough money to pay property taxes and cover some college costs. Richard Rubin, WSJ, 2 May 2022 Unlike the previous government, the Taliban have not supplied engineers to monitor toxic gas, or timber to support tunnels that stretch for hundreds of yards. New York Times, 29 Mar. 2022 Since then, the groups have overseen restoration work and timber harvesting there with the goal of building trails that would tie into an in-progress network at the neighboring Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument to the south. Gregory Thomas, San Francisco Chronicle, 9 Mar. 2022 Will timber harvested from lands under Conservation Fund care be milled in the region? oregonlive, 25 Nov. 2021 See More

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English, building, wood; akin to Old High German zimbar wood, room, Greek demein to build, domos course of stones or bricks

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

timber

noun

tim·​ber ˈtim-bər How to pronounce timber (audio)
1
: wood suitable for building or for carpentry
2
: a large squared piece of wood ready for use or forming part of a structure

timber

noun

1
as in forest
a dense growth of trees and shrubs covering a large area upon our approach the deer disappeared back into the timber from whence it had come

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
  • forest
  • wood(s)
  • woodland
  • timberland
  • forestland
  • grove
  • coppice
  • brushwood
  • copse
  • woodlot
  • thicket
  • plantation
  • brake
  • chaparral
  • stand
  • scrubland
  • greenwood
  • wildwood
  • arboretum
  • covert
2
as in lumber
tree logs as prepared for human use needed a new load of timber to finish building the house

Synonyms & Similar Words

  • lumber
  • wood
  • beam
  • stake
  • pile
  • firewood
  • sill
  • brace
  • splint
  • post
  • stave
  • stick
  • billet
  • block
  • cordwood
  • ridgepole
  • bar
3
as in material
the basic elements from which something can be developed a novel with the timber to become a best seller, if marketed correctly

Synonyms & Similar Words

  • material
  • potential
  • making
  • substance
  • potentiality
  • raw material
  • metal
  • stuff
  • possibility
  • matter
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更新时间:2024/12/23 17:27:13