BEAM
beam
(noun) long thick piece of wood or metal or concrete, etc., used in construction
beam
(noun) the broad side of a ship; “they sighted land on the port beam”
beam
(noun) (nautical) breadth amidships
beam, beam of light, light beam, ray, ray of light, shaft, shaft of light, irradiation
(noun) a column of light (as from a beacon)
beam, ray, electron beam
(noun) a group of nearly parallel lines of electromagnetic radiation
beam
(verb) smile radiantly; express joy through one’s facial expression
air, send, broadcast, beam, transmit
(verb) broadcast over the airwaves, as in radio or television; “We cannot air this X-rated song”
beam
(verb) express with a beaming face or smile; “he beamed his approval”
glow, beam, radiate, shine
(verb) experience a feeling of well-being or happiness, as from good health or an intense emotion; “She was beaming with joy”; “Her face radiated with happiness”
glow, beam, radiate, shine
(verb) have a complexion with a strong bright color, such as red or pink; “Her face glowed when she came out of the sauna”
shine, beam
(verb) emit light; be bright, as of the sun or a light; “The sun shone bright that day”; “The fire beamed on their faces”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Noun
beam (plural beams)
Any large piece of timber or iron long in proportion to its thickness, and prepared for use.
One of the principal horizontal timbers of a building; one of the transverse members of a ship's frame on which the decks are laid — supported at the sides by knees in wooden ships and by stringers in steel ones.
(nautical) The maximum width of a vessel (note that a vessel with a beam of 15 foot can also be said to be 15 foot abeam)
Synonym: breadth
The crossbar of a mechanical balance, from the ends of which the scales are suspended.
The principal stem of the antler of a deer.
(literary) The pole of a carriage or chariot.
(textiles) A cylinder of wood, making part of a loom, on which weavers wind the warp before weaving and the cylinder on which the cloth is rolled, as it is woven.
The straight part or shank of an anchor.
The central bar of a plow, to which the handles and colter are secured, and to the end of which are attached the oxen or horses that draw it.
In steam engines, a heavy iron lever having an oscillating motion on a central axis, one end of which is connected with the piston rod from which it receives motion, and the other with the crank of the wheel shaft.
Synonyms: working beam, walking beam
A ray or collection of approximately parallel rays emitted from the sun or other luminous body.
(figuratively) A ray; a gleam.
One of the long feathers in the wing of a hawk.
Synonym: beam feather
(music) A horizontal bar which connects the stems of two or more notes to group them and to indicate metric value.
(railway) An elevated rectangular dirt pile used to cheaply build an elevated portion of a railway.
Hyponyms
• (textiles): fore beam, back beam
Verb
beam (third-person singular simple present beams, present participle beaming, simple past and past participle beamed)
(ambitransitive) To emit beams of light; shine; radiate.
(intransitive, figuratively) To smile broadly or especially cheerfully.
(transitive) To furnish or supply with beams
(transitive) To give the appearance of beams to.
(transitive, science fiction) To transmit matter or information via a high-tech wireless mechanism.
(transitive, currying) To stretch something (for example an animal hide) on a beam.
(transitive, weaving) To put (something) on a beam
(transitive, music) To connect (musical notes) with a beam, or thick line, in music notation.
Anagrams
• BAME, Bame, Mabe, ambe, bema, mabe
Etymology
Proper noun
Beam
A surname.
Anagrams
• BAME, Bame, Mabe, ambe, bema, mabe
Source: Wiktionary
Beam, n. Etym: [AS. beám beam, post, tree, ray of light; akin to
OFries. bam tree, OS. b, D. boom, OHG. boum, poum, G. baum, Icel. ba,
Goth. bahms and Gr. a growth, to become, to be. Cf. L. radius staff,
rod, spoke of a wheel, beam or ray, and G. strahl arrow, spoke of a
wheel, ray or beam, flash of lightning. Be; cf. Boom a spar.]
1. Any large piece of timber or iron long in proportion to its
thickness, and prepared for use.
2. One of the principal horizontal timbers of a building or ship.
The beams of a vessel are strong pieces of timber stretching across
from side to side to support the decks. Totten.
3. The width of a vessel; as, one vessel is said to have more beam
than another.
4. The bar of a balance, from the ends of which the scales are
suspended.
The doubtful beam long nods from side to side. Pope.
5. The principal stem or horn of a stag or other deer, which bears
the antlers, or branches.
6. The pole of a carriage. [Poetic] Dryden.
7. A cylinder of wood, making part of a loom, on which weavers wind
the warp before weaving; also, the cylinder on which the cloth is
rolled, as it is woven; one being called the fore beam, the other the
back beam.
8. The straight part or shank of an anchor.
9. The main part of a plow, to which the handles and colter are
secured, and to the end of which are attached the oxen or horses that
draw it.
10. (Steam Engine)
Definition: A heavy iron lever having an oscillating motion on a central
axis, one end of which is connected with the piston rod from which it
receives motion, and the other with the crank of the wheel shaft; --
called also working beam or walking beam.
11. A ray or collection of parallel rays emitted from the sun or
other luminous body; as, a beam of light, or of heat.
How far that little candle throws his beams ! Shak.
12. Fig.: A ray; a gleam; as, a beam of comfort.
Mercy with her genial beam. Keble.
13. One of the long feathers in the wing of a hawk; -- called also
beam feather. Abaft the beam (Naut.), in an arc of the horizon
between a line that crosses the ship at right angles, or in the
direction of her beams, and that point of the compass toward which
her stern is directed.
– Beam center (Mach.), the fulcrum or pin on which the working beam
of an engine vibrates.
– Beam compass, an instrument consisting of a rod or beam, having
sliding sockets that carry steel or pencil points; -- used for
drawing or describing large circles.
– Beam engine, a steam engine having a working beam to transmit
power, in distinction from one which has its piston rod attached
directly to the crank of the wheel shaft.
– Before the beam (Naut.), in an arc of the horizon included
between a line that crosses the ship at right angles and that point
of the compass toward which the ship steers.
– On the beam , in a line with the beams, or at right angled with
the keel.
– On the weather beam, on the side of a ship which faces the wind.
– To be on her beam ends, to incline, as a vessel, so much on one
side that her beams approach a vertical position.
Beam, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beamed (p. pr. & vb. n. Beaming.]
Definition: To send forth; to emit; -- followed ordinarily by forth; as, to
beam forth light.
Beam, v. i.
Definition: To emit beams of light.
He beamed, the daystar of the rising age. Trumbull.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition