GeezerVison

See also: Timber

English

WOTD – 16 August 2006

Etymology

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

Cognates

Cognate with Dutch timmer (“building, construction; chamber, room”), German Zimmer (“room, timber”), Luxembourgish Zëmmer (“room”), Yiddish צימער (tsimer, “room”), Danish and Norwegian Bokmål tømmer (“timber”), Faroese and Icelandic timbur (“timber, wood”), Norwegian Nynorsk timber, tymbur, tømmer (“timber”), Swedish timmer (“timber”), Gothic 𐍄𐌹𐌼𐌱𐍂𐌾𐌰𐌽 (timbrjan), 𐍄𐌹𐌼𐍂𐌾𐌰𐌽 (timrjan, “to build, construct; to edify, strengthen”); also Breton danvez (“material, matter; fabric; fortune, wealth”), Cornish devnydh (“inhredient, material, stuff; use”), Irish and Scottish Gaelic damhna (“matter”), Welsh defnydd (“material, stuff; gear, implement, instrument; application; cause, occasion, reason”), Latin domus (“home, house”), Ancient Greek δόμος (dómos, “house; household”), Albanian dhomë (“chamber, room”), Latgalian noms (“house”), Latvian nams (“house”), Lithuanian namas (“house”), Belarusian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, and Russian дом (dom, “home, house”), Czech dům (“house”), Polish, Slovak, and Slovene dom (“home, house”), Serbo-Croatian до̑м, dȏm (“home, house”), Ukrainian дім (dim, “home, house; building”), Armenian տուն (tun, “home, house; family, household”), Avestan 𐬛𐬀𐬨 (dam, “house”), Sanskrit दम् (dam, “house”), दम (dama, “home”).

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 (Australia); “timber” (noun): (file)
Rhymes: -ɪmbə(ɹ)
Homophone: timbre (for one US pronunciation)
Hyphenation: tim‧ber

Noun

timber (countable and uncountable, plural timbers)

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

cut down timber
- 2026 May, Hannah Martin, “Fancy Baskets”, in Architectural Digest, volume 83, number 4, page 97:
  Soon, he convinced his uncle to show him how to harvest ash, the local timber that—cut, hauled, sliced, and hand-pounded into thin strips—is typically used.
(outside Canada, US, uncountable) Wood that has been pre-cut and is ready for use in construction.
(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
Material for any structure.
(firearms, informal) The wooden stock of a rifle or shotgun.
(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.
(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

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 (drawnína)
Bulgarian: дъ́рвен материа́л m (dắrven 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)
Marshallese: aļaļ
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

Latin: 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 (dărvó), дъ́рвен материа́л m (dắrven 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)
Marshallese: aļaļ
Meru: mpao
Norwegian:
Bokmål: trevirke n
Old English: timber n
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

Latin: 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)
Ottoman Turkish: كرسته (kereste)
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:
Latin: stalak (sh) m
Spanish: madero (es) m, viga (es) f, polín m
Swahili: mbao (sw)

Interjection

timber!

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!"
(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)!
Romanian: cade!
Russian: побереги́сь (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)

(transitive) To fit with timbers.
timbering a roof
(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.
(falconry, intransitive) To light or land on a tree.
(obsolete) To make a nest.
(transitive) To surmount as a timber does.

Usage notes

Not to be confused with timbre, which has a different meaning.

Anagrams

betrim, biterm, timbre

Norwegian Nynorsk

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈtɪmbər/, /ˈtɪmːər/

Noun

timber n (definite singular timberet or timbret, uncountable)

(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

timber
building (both senses)

Declension

Strong a-stem:

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

Derived terms

Descendants

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

Old Swedish

Etymology

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

Noun

timber n

timber; wood used for building

Declension

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acc_sg=timber
nom_sg=timber
nopl=1
Please see Module:checkparams for help with this warning.}

Declension of *timbr* (strong a-stem)
neuter	singular		plural
neuter	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

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