caber

American  

[key-ber] / ˈkeɪ bər /

noun

Scot.

• cabers
  plural

1. a pole or beam, especially one thrown as a trial of strength.

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caber British  

/ ˈkeɪbə, ˈkebər /

noun

1. a heavy section of trimmed tree trunk thrown in competition at Highland games ( tossing the caber )

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• cabers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of caber

First recorded in 1505–15, caber is from the Scots Gaelic word cabar pole

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

caber cabers

They were joined by crowds from around the world to watch competitors take part in the caber toss, hammer throw and tug of war.

From BBC ● Dec. 11, 2022

One week, it’s a San Diego quarterback throwing a ball backward over his head, a play that Bryce Miller of the San Diego Union-Tribune described as resembling “a drunken, Scottish caber toss minus the kilt.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 3, 2019

He’s alive and swinging, despite the best intentions of Brienne and Arya, and breathing heavily, like every interesting character on “Game of Thrones” who carries a caber or defies death.

From The New Yorker ● Jun. 6, 2016

Although he plays up his roots by donning a kilt or tossing the caber - a Highland sport involving throwing a giant wooden pole - he has impeccable credentials as a German conservative.

From Reuters ● Jan. 15, 2013

I heard Byfield expostulating, apparently in vain: for I awoke next to find that Sheepshanks had stumbled over me while illustrating, with an empty bottle, the motions of tossing the caber.

From The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition Vol. 20 (of 25) by Robert Louis Stevenson

It is often brought upon the field heavier than can be thrown and then cut to suit the contestants, although sometimes cabers of different sizes are kept, each contestant taking his choice.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 4 "Bulgaria" to "Calgary" by Various