ridgepole

American  

[rij-pohl] / ˈrɪdʒˌpoʊl /

Or ridge pole

noun

1. the horizontal timber or member at the top of a roof, to which the upper ends of the rafters are fastened.

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ridgepole British  

/ ˈrɪdʒˌpəʊl /

noun

1. a timber laid along the ridge of a roof, to which the upper ends of the rafters are attached

2. the horizontal pole at the apex of a tent

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Other Word Forms

• ridgepoled
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of ridgepole

First recorded in 1780–90; ridge + pole ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

ridgepole

Bill McCroskey, 78, brought the sand-colored canvas ridgepole wall tent he’d slept in during the 10-day Jamboree.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2018

They also noted huge protuberances over the eyebrows and at the back of the head, an elevation like a ridgepole from front to back of the cranium.

From Time Magazine Archive

Given a boat which he does not know how to manage, he is sent to rescue a woman perched on an old cypress snag and a man clinging to the ridgepole of a cotton house.

From Time Magazine Archive

Audubon is a superbly sensuous poem, full of dawns "redder than meat," and chimney smoke that "bellies the ridgepole."

From Time Magazine Archive

Its ridgepole, its roof edges, its corners, look as if they had been drawn with a ruler, where those of the old barn were sketched freehand.

From The Jonathan Papers by Morris, Elisabeth Woodbridge