waybeam

W4A1Y4B3E1A1M3

noun

A longitudinal timber supporting railway track, especially on a bridge.

Scrabble 17
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Meanings

nounwaybeam (plural waybeams)

plural waybeams

  1. rail transportA longitudinal timber supporting railway track, especially on a bridge.

    Oak waybeams, 28 ft. long × 14 in. wide × 9½ in. deep, resting in the troughs, support the track, which is laid with flat-bottom bridge rails, 56 ft. long, and weighing 126 lb. per yd.

    1950 March, H. A. Vallance, “On Foot Across the Forth Bridge”, in Railway Magazine, page 149

Origin

From way + beam.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

waybeam. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/waybeam

MLA

“waybeam.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/waybeam. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “waybeam,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/waybeam.

Source: waybeam on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.