O.E. timber "building, structure," later "building material, trees suitable for building," and "wood in general," from P.Gmc. *temran (cf. O.Fris. timber "wood, building," O.H.G. zimbar "timber, wooden dwelling, room," O.N. timbr "timber," Ger. Zimmer "room"), from PIE *demrom-, from base *dem-/*dom- "build" (source of Gk. domos, L. domus; see domestic). The O.E. verb timbran, timbrian was the chief word for "to build" (cf. Du. timmeren, Ger. zimmern). As a call of warning when a cut tree is about to fall, it is attested from 1912 in Canadian Eng. Timbers in the nautical slang sense (see shiver (n.)) is from the specialized meaning "pieces of wood composing the frames of a ship's hull" (1748).
the wood of trees cut and prepared for use as building material [syn: lumber]
2.
a beam made of wood
3.
a post made of wood
4.
land that is covered with trees and shrubs [syn: forest]
5.
(music) the distinctive property of a complex sound (a voice or noise or musical sound); "the timbre of her soprano was rich and lovely"; "the muffled tones of the broken bell summoned them to meet" [syn: timbre]
Main Entry: tim·bre Variant: alsotim·ber/'tam-b&r, 'tim-; 'tam(br&)/ Function: noun : the quality given
to a sound by its overtones: as a: the resonance by which the ear recognizes and identifies a voiced speech sound b: the quality of tone distinctive of a particular
singing voice or musical instrument —tim·bral/'tam-br&l, 'tim-/adjective
Timber Lake, SD (city, FIPS 63620) Location: 45.42762 N, 101.07417 W Population (1990): 517 (252 housing units) Area: 1.1 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water) Zip code(s): 57656
Timber Pines, FL (CDP, FIPS 71867) Location: 28.46986 N, 82.60327 W Population (1990): 3182 (1895 housing units) Area: 6.9 sq km (land), 0.2 sq km (water)
Timber, OR Zip code(s): 97144
Big Timber, MT (city, FIPS 6475) Location: 45.83410 N, 109.95061 W Population (1990): 1557 (771 housing units) Area: 2.1 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water) Zip code(s): 59011
Dome\, n. [F. d[^o]me, It. duomo, fr. L. domus a house, domus Dei or Domini, house of the Lord, house of God; akin to Gr. ? house, ? to build, and E. timber. See Timber.]1. A building; a house; an edifice; -- used chiefly in poetry. Approach the dome, the social banquet share. --Pope. 2. (Arch.) A cupola formed on a large scale. Note: "The Italians apply the term il duomo to the principal church of a city, and the Germans call every cathedral church Dom; and it is supposed that the word in its present English sense has crept into use from the circumstance of such buildings being frequently surmounted by a cupola." --Am. Cyc. 3. Any erection resembling the dome or cupola of a building; as the upper part of a furnace, the vertical steam chamber on the top of a boiler, etc. 4. (Crystallog.) A prism formed by planes parallel to a lateral axis which meet above in a horizontal edge, like the roof of a house; also, one of the planes of such a form. Note: If the plane is parallel to the longer diagonal (macrodiagonal) of the prism, it is called a macrodome; if parallel to the shorter (brachydiagonal), it is a brachydome; if parallel to the inclined diagonal in a monoclinic crystal, it is called a clinodome; if parallel to the orthodiagonal axis, an orthodome. --Dana.
Tim"ber\, n. [Probably the same word as timber sort of wood; cf. Sw. timber, LG. timmer, MHG. zimber, G. zimmer, F. timbre, LL. timbrium. Cf. Timmer.] (Com.) A certain quantity of fur skins, as of martens, ermines, sables, etc., packed between boards; being in some cases forty skins, in others one hundred and twenty; -- called also timmer. [Written also timbre.]
Tim"ber\, n. [AS. timbor, timber, wood, building; akin to OFries. timber, D. timmer a room, G. zimmer, OHG. zimbar timber, a dwelling, room, Icel. timbr timber, Sw. timmer, Dan. t["o]mmer, Goth. timrjan to build, timrja a builder, L. domus a house, Gr. ? house, ? to build, Skr. dama a house. [root]62. Cf. Dome, Domestic.]1. That sort of wood which is proper for buildings or for tools, utensils, furniture, carriages, fences, ships, and the like; -- usually said of felled trees, but sometimes of those standing. Cf. Lumber, 3. And ta'en my fiddle to the gate, . . . And fiddled in the timber! --Tennyson. 2. The body, stem, or trunk of a tree. 3. Fig.: Material for any structure. Such dispositions are the very errors of human nature; and yet they are the fittest timber to make politics of. --Bacon. 4. A single piece or squared stick of wood intended for building, or already framed; collectively, the larger pieces or sticks of wood, forming the framework of a house, ship, or other structure, in distinction from the covering or boarding. So they prepared timber . . . to build the house. --1 Kings v. 18. Many of the timbers were decayed. --W. Coxe. 5. Woods or forest; wooden land. [Western U. S.] 6. (Shipbuilding) A rib, or a curving piece of wood, branching outward from the keel and bending upward in a vertical direction. One timber is composed of several pieces united. Timber and room. (Shipbuilding) Same as Room and space. See under Room. Timber beetle (Zo["o]l.), any one of numerous species of beetles the larv[ae] of which bore in timber; as, the silky timber beetle (Lymexylon sericeum). Timber doodle (Zo["o]l.), the American woodcock. [Local, U. S.] Timber grouse (Zo["o]l.), any species of grouse that inhabits woods, as the ruffed grouse and spruce partridge; -- distinguished from prairie grouse. Timber hitch (Naut.), a kind of hitch used for temporarily marking fast a rope to a spar. See Illust. under Hitch. Timber mare, a kind of instrument upon which soldiers were formerly compelled to ride for punishment. --Johnson. Timber scribe, a metal tool or pointed instrument for marking timber. --Simmonds. Timber sow. (Zo["o]l.) Same as Timber worm, below. --Bacon. Timber tree, a tree suitable for timber. Timber worm (Zo["o]l.), any larval insect which burrows in timber. Timber yard, a yard or place where timber is deposited.
Tim"ber\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Timbered; p. pr. & vb. n. Timbering.] To furnish with timber; -- chiefly used in the past participle. His bark is stoutly timbered. --Shak.
![[P]](http://cache.lexico.com/g/d/premium_mh.gif){kind=small}
Audio Help [tim-ber] Pronunciation Key 
