Meanings
nounI-beam (plural I-beams)
plural I-beams
- engineeringA beam with cross-section shaped like a capital letter I (with serifs top and bottom), used in construction.
- computingA cursor shaped like the letter I, usually indicating text that can be edited or selected.
In general, the cursor image is the primary concern, with different types used to indicate selected functions such as I-beams or vertical bars for text editing, a pencil for drawing, or a hand with the index finger extended […]
1992, Ben Ezzell, Borland C++ 3.0 programming
Origin
Since it resembles a capital letter I with serifs.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Dutch I-profiel
- I-profielI-shaped beam
Finnish I-palkki
- I-palkkiI-shaped beam
Irish I-bhíoma
- I-bhíomaI-shaped beam
Polish dwuteownik
- dwuteownikI-shaped beam
Russian двута́вр, двута́вровая ба́лка
- двута́вр (dvutávr)I-shaped beam
- двута́вровая ба́лка (dvutávrovaja bálka)I-shaped beam
Turkish putrel
- putrelI-shaped beam
Cite this entry
APA
I-beam. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/I-beam
MLA
“I-beam.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/I-beam. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “I-beam,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/I-beam.
Source: I-beam on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.