timber

[tim-ber]

noun

1. the wood of growing trees suitable for structural uses.

2. growing trees themselves.

3. wooded land.

4. wood, especially when suitable or adapted for various building purposes.

5. a single piece of wood forming part of a structure or the like.

   A timber fell from the roof.

6. Nautical.,  (in a ship's frame) one of the curved pieces of wood that spring upward and outward from the keel; rib.

7. personal character or quality.

   He's being talked up as presidential timber.

8. Sports.,  a wooden hurdle, as a gate or fence, over which a horse must jump in equestrian sports.

verb (used with object)

1. to furnish with timber.

2. to support with timber.

verb (used without object)

1. to fell timber, especially as an occupation.

interjection

1. a lumberjack's call to warn those in the vicinity that a cut tree is about to fall to the ground.

timber

/ ˈtɪmbə /

noun

1. 1. Usual US and Canadian word: lumber. wood, esp when regarded as a construction material

   2. ( as modifier )

      a timber cottage

2. 1. trees collectively

   2. woodland

3. a piece of wood used in a structure

4. nautical a frame in a wooden vessel

5. potential material, for a post, rank, etc

   he is managerial timber

verb

1. (tr) to provide with timbers

interjection

1. a lumberjack's shouted warning when a tree is about to fall

Other Word Forms

• timberless adjective
• timbery adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of timber¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English: originally, “house, building material, wood, trees”; cognate with German Zimmer “room,” Old Norse timbr “timber”; akin to Gothic timrjan “to build,” Greek démein “to build,” dómos “house,” Latin domus “house,” Slavic ( Polish ) dom, “house, home,” Sanskrit dáma- “house, building”; dome

Word History and Origins

Origin of timber¹

Old English; related to Old High German zimbar wood, Old Norse timbr timber, Latin domus house

Example Sentences

That earthquake was especially deadly as the rural houses in the region were typically made of mud and timber.

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Fish and Wildlife Service plan could hinder timber sales.

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Now, timber interests are aligning with environmentalists in favor of culling the owls.

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Nature Friends lodge, built with quaint Bavarian styling by German immigrants in 1923, had been reduced by the fire to heaps of charred timber, twisted metal and broken dishes.

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Earlier this week new US tariffs came in on items needed to renovate your home including imported kitchen cabinets, timber and wooden furniture.

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Related Words

• forest 
• hardwood 
• log 

When To Use

What does timber mean?

Timber refers to wood used for building materials.Timber can be used to refer to wood at different stages of processing. Sometimes, it refers to the trees in a wooded area that will be cut for use. Other times, it means trees that have already been cut down but not yet processed into planks and other forms to build with. And other times it refers to the wood after it has been processed (a more common word for this is lumber).Timber is most commonly used as a mass noun, meaning it is a singular noun that refers to multiple things and does not get pluralized.Example: Those trucks are bringing freshly cut timber to the mill.