Meanings
plural timbers
- uncountableTrees in a forest regarded as a source of wood.
collect timber
2 more examples
cut down timber
Soon, he convinced his uncle to show him how to harvest ash, the local timber that—cut, hauled, sliced, and hand-pounded into thin strips—is typically used.
2026 May 28, Hannah Martin, “Fancy Baskets”, in Architectural Digest, volume 83, number 4, page 97Synonyms: timberland, forest
- USuncountableoutside CanadaWood that has been pre-cut and is ready for use in construction.
- countableuncountableMaterial for any structure.
- countableslanguncountableball gamesThe stumps.
- 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!"
1961, Robert S. Close, With Hooves of Brass, Sydney: Horwitz Publications, page 34 - broadlyA 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!"
1991, Rex Mossop, The Moose That Roared, Sydney: Ironbark Press, page 160
present singular third person timbers · participle present timbering · participle past timbered · past timbered
- transitiveTo fit with timbers.
timbering a roof
- intransitivefalconryTo light or land on a tree.
- obsoleteTo make a nest.
- transitiveTo surmount as a timber does.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounTrees in a forest regarded as a source of wood.
nounA heavy wooden beam, generally a whole log that has been squared off and used to provide heavy support for something such as a roof.
More synonyms by meaning
nounthe wood of trees cut and prepared for use as building material
nounland that is covered with trees and shrubs
noun(music) the distinctive property of a complex sound (a voice or noise or musical sound)
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*dem-“to build; to arrange”
- Proto-Germanic*timrą“building; timber”
- Proto-West Germanic*timr
- Old Englishtimber
- Middle Englishtymber
- Englishtimber
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”).
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic خَشَب, خَشَب
- خَشَب (ḵašab)trees considered as a source of wood
- خَشَب (ḵašab)wood that has been cut ready for construction
- خَشَب! (ḵašab)warning shout used by loggers
Bulgarian дъ́рвен материа́л, дърво́
- дъ́рвен материа́л (dắrven materiál)trees considered as a source of wood
- дърво́ (dărvó)wood that has been cut ready for construction
- дъ́рвен материа́л (dắrven materiál)wood that has been cut ready for construction
- греда́ (gredá)beam used to support something such as a roof or a ship
Catalan fusta, biga
- fustatrees considered as a source of wood
- bigabeam used to support something such as a roof or a ship
Chinese Mandarin 木材, 木料
- 木材 (mùcái)trees considered as a source of wood
- 木料 (mùliào)wood that has been cut ready for construction
- 木材 (mùcái)wood that has been cut ready for construction
Danish tømmer
- tømmertrees considered as a source of wood
Dutch kaphout, hout
- kaphouttrees considered as a source of wood
- houttrees considered as a source of wood
- houtwood that has been cut ready for construction
- timmerhoutwood that has been cut ready for construction
- dakbalkbeam used to support something such as a roof or a ship
- balkbeam used to support something such as a roof or a ship
- onderuit!warning shout used by loggers
- van onderenwarning shout used by loggers
Finnish puu, puusto
- puutrees considered as a source of wood
- puustotrees considered as a source of wood
- puuwood that has been cut ready for construction
- puutavarawood that has been cut ready for construction
- hirsibeam used to support something such as a roof or a ship
- kurkihirsibeam used to support something such as a roof or a ship
- puu kaatuu!warning shout used by loggers
French bois, arbres
- boistrees considered as a source of wood
- arbrestrees considered as a source of wood
- bois de charpentewood that has been cut ready for construction
- bois de constructionwood that has been cut ready for construction
- bois de menuiseriewood that has been cut ready for construction
- madrierbeam used to support something such as a roof or a ship
- poutrebeam used to support something such as a roof or a ship
- membrure [ship]beam used to support something such as a roof or a ship
- gare!warning shout used by loggers
- attention!warning shout used by loggers
German Holz, Nutzholz
- Holztrees considered as a source of wood
- Nutzholztrees considered as a source of wood
- Holzwood that has been cut ready for construction
- Bauholzwood that has been cut ready for construction
- Schnittholzwood that has been cut ready for construction
- Konstruktionsholzwood that has been cut ready for construction
- Konstruktionsvollholzwood that has been cut ready for construction
- Stielbeam used to support something such as a roof or a ship
- Balkenbeam used to support something such as a roof or a ship
- Säulebeam used to support something such as a roof or a ship
- Stützebeam used to support something such as a roof or a ship
- Baum fällt!warning shout used by loggers
Greek ξυλεία, ξυλεία
- ξυλεία (xyleía)trees considered as a source of wood
- ξυλεία (xyleía)wood that has been cut ready for construction
- δοκάρι (dokári)beam used to support something such as a roof or a ship
Hungarian épületfa, dől a fa!
- épületfawood that has been cut ready for construction
- dől a fa!warning shout used by loggers
Icelandic viður, timbur
- viðurtrees considered as a source of wood
- timburtrees considered as a source of wood
- viðurwood that has been cut ready for construction
- timburwood that has been cut ready for construction
- timbur!warning shout used by loggers
Irish adhmad, ánshraith
- adhmadtrees considered as a source of wood
- ánshraithbeam used to support something such as a roof or a ship
Italian legno, legname
- legnotrees considered as a source of wood
- legnamewood that has been cut ready for construction
Japanese 木材, 材木
- 木材 (mokuzai)trees considered as a source of wood
- 材木 (zaimoku)trees considered as a source of wood
- 材木 (zaimoku)wood that has been cut ready for construction
- 木材 (mokuzai)wood that has been cut ready for construction
- 梁 (hari)beam used to support something such as a roof or a ship
Korean 목재, 제목
- 목재 (mokjae)trees considered as a source of wood
- 제목 (jemok)trees considered as a source of wood
- 재목 (jaemok)wood that has been cut ready for construction
- 들보 (deulbo)beam used to support something such as a roof or a ship
Lithuanian mediena, rąstas
- medienatrees considered as a source of wood
- rąstastrees considered as a source of wood
Malay balak
- balaktrees considered as a source of wood
Norwegian Bokmål tømmer, trevirke
- tømmertrees considered as a source of wood
- trevirkewood that has been cut ready for construction
- takbjelkebeam used to support something such as a roof or a ship
Polish drzewa, drewno
- drzewatrees considered as a source of wood
- drewnowood that has been cut ready for construction
Portuguese madeira, madeira
- madeiratrees considered as a source of wood
- madeirawood that has been cut ready for construction
- vigabeam used to support something such as a roof or a ship
- madeira!warning shout used by loggers
Romanian cherestea, cade!
- cheresteawood that has been cut ready for construction
- cade!warning shout used by loggers
Russian лес на корню́, строево́й лес
- лес на корню́ (les na kornjú)trees considered as a source of wood
- строево́й лес (strojevój les)trees considered as a source of wood
- древеси́на (drevesína)trees considered as a source of wood
- пиломатериа́лы (pilomateriály)wood that has been cut ready for construction
- лесоматериа́л (lesomateriál)wood that has been cut ready for construction
- деревоматериа́л (derevomateriál)wood that has been cut ready for construction
- ба́лка (bálka)beam used to support something such as a roof or a ship
- побереги́сь! (poberegísʹ)warning shout used by loggers
Scottish Gaelic fiodh
- fiodhwood that has been cut ready for construction
Spanish madera, leña
- maderatrees considered as a source of wood
- leñatrees considered as a source of wood
- leñowood that has been cut ready for construction
- maderowood that has been cut ready for construction
- maderobeam used to support something such as a roof or a ship
- vigabeam used to support something such as a roof or a ship
- polínbeam used to support something such as a roof or a ship
- fuera abajowarning shout used by loggers
- árbol vawarning shout used by loggers
- tronco vawarning shout used by loggers
Swahili mbao, mbao
- mbaotrees considered as a source of wood
- mbaowood that has been cut ready for construction
- mbaobeam used to support something such as a roof or a ship
- mbaowarning shout used by loggers
Swedish trä, virke
- trätrees considered as a source of wood
- virkewood that has been cut ready for construction
- timmerwood that has been cut ready for construction
- timmer!warning shout used by loggers
Tagalog baol
- baolwood that has been cut ready for construction
Thai ไม้ล้ม
- ไม้ล้ม (mái lóm)warning shout used by loggers
Turkish kerestelik orman, ahşap
- kerestelik ormantrees considered as a source of wood
- ahşaptrees considered as a source of wood
- kerestewood that has been cut ready for construction
Ukrainian деревина́, лісоматеріа́л
- деревина́ (derevyná)trees considered as a source of wood
- лісоматеріа́л (lisomateriál)wood that has been cut ready for construction
Welsh pren, pren
- prentrees considered as a source of wood
- prenwood that has been cut ready for construction
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with timber
All rhymes →Sounds the same
Anagrams
Cite this entry
timber. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/timber
“timber.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/timber. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “timber,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/timber.
Source: timber on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.