timber

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timber

  • /ˈtɪmbə/ UK
  • [ˈtɪˑmˌbəː] UK
  • /ˈtɪmbɚ/ US
  • [ˈtɪˑmˌbɚː] US

Sounds like timbre (for one US pronunciation) · Rhymes with -ɪmbə(ɹ)

Where it comes from

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”).

noun timbers

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

    Similar: timberland, forest

  2. US, uncountable Wood that has been pre-cut and is ready for use in construction.

    Similar: lumber, wood

  3. 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

    Similar: beam, rafter

  4. countable, uncountable Material for any structure.
  5. countable, informal, uncountable The wooden stock of a rifle or shotgun.
  6. archaic, countable, uncountable 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.
  7. countable, slang, uncountable The stumps.

interjection timber!

  1. Used by loggers to warn others that a tree being felled is falling. 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!"
  2. broadly A cry used when anything is falling over. 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!"

verb timbers · timbering · timbered

  1. transitive To fit with timbers. timbering a roof
  2. obsolete, transitive To construct, frame, build. For many heads that undertake [learning], were never squared nor timbred for it.
  3. intransitive To light or land on a tree.
  4. obsolete To make a nest.
  5. transitive To surmount as a timber does.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: woodland, forest, timberland, lumber, quality, tone, timbre, woods, woody, log, forestry, forested, wood, bush, tree, heartwood

Translations

Every language

noun trees considered as a source of wood

Españolmadera, leña
한국어목재 mokjae, 제목 jemok
日本語木材 mokuzai, 材木 zaimoku
中文木材 mùcái
Kiswahilimbao
Portuguêsmadeira
Françaisbois, arbres
DeutschHolz, Nutzholz
Italianolegno
Ελληνικάξυλεία xyleía
Русскийлес на корню́ les na kornjú, строево́й лес strojevój les, древеси́на drevesína
العربيةخَشَب ḵašab

noun wood that has been cut ready for construction

Españolleño, madero
한국어재목 jaemok
日本語材木 zaimoku, 木材 mokuzai
中文木料 mùliào, 木材 mùcái
Kiswahilimbao
Portuguêsmadeira
Françaisbois de charpente, bois de construction, bois de menuiserie
DeutschHolz, Bauholz, Schnittholz, Konstruktionsholz, Konstruktionsvollholz
Italianolegname
Ελληνικάξυλεία xyleía
Românăcherestea
Русскийпиломатериа́лы pilomateriály, лесоматериа́л lesomateriál, деревоматериа́л derevomateriál
العربيةخَشَب ḵašab

noun beam used to support something such as a roof or a ship

Españolmadero, viga, polín
한국어들보 deulbo
日本語梁 hari
Kiswahilimbao
Portuguêsviga
Françaismadrier, poutre, membrure [ship]
DeutschStiel, Balken, Säule, Stütze
Ελληνικάδοκάρι dokári
Русскийба́лка bálka

intj warning shout used by loggers

Españolfuera abajo, árbol va, tronco va
Kiswahilimbao
Portuguêsmadeira!
Françaisgare!, attention!
DeutschBaum fällt!
Românăcade!
Русскийпобереги́сь! poberegísʹ
العربيةخَشَب! ḵašab

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MLA

"timber." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/timber. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

timber. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/timber

Chicago

"timber." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/timber.

BibTeX
@misc{timber_2026,
  title = {timber},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/timber},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}