scantling

[skant-ling]

scant·ling

[skant-ling]
noun
1.
a timber of relatively slight width and thickness, as a stud or rafter in a house frame.
2.
such timbers collectively.
3.
the width and thickness of a timber.
4.
the dimensions of a building stone.
5.
Nautical.
a.
a dressed timber or rolled metal member used as a framing member in a vessel.
b.
the dimension, in cross section, of a framing member.
EXPAND
6.
a small quantity or amount.
COLLAPSE

Origin:
1520–30; scant + -ling1; replacing Middle English scantilon < Old French escantillon gauge
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Scantling is always a great word to know.
So is doohickey. Does it mean:
a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
Collins
World English Dictionary
scantling (ˈskæntlɪŋ)
 
n
1.  a piece of sawn timber, such as a rafter, that has a small cross section
2.  the dimensions of a piece of building material or the structural parts of a ship, esp those in cross section
3.  a building stone, esp one that is more than 6 feet in length
4.  a small quantity or amount
 
[C16: changed (through influence of scant and -ling1) from earlier scantillon, a carpenter's gauge, from Old Norman French escantillon, ultimately from Latin scandere to climb; see scan]

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