Beam

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /biːm/

Definitions

1. A long, sturdy piece of wood or metal used to support weight in buildings or structures
2. A long element used in construction to carry loads ; a narrow stream of light shining from a source ; a focused flow of particles or energy emitted from a device ; a broad smile indicating joy or pride
3. A horizontal support stretching across an opening to hold weight ; a visible shaft of light traveling through space ; a directed emission of radiation or particles, such as from a laser ; a wide grin shown by someone feeling pleasure or satisfaction

Etymology: The most surprising thing about "beam" is that its original sense was "tree." Old English "bēam" meant a tree, a cross, a gallows, or a pillar, and the same root gave the Dutch "boom" and the German "Baum," both still meaning tree today. The timber sense of a long piece of wood supporting a roof grew out of that older meaning: a felled tree trunk was the obvious source of a structural log. The light sense came from the same root by a different route. The Old English verb "bēamian" meant to shine or send out rays, and it was formed from the noun, so the idea of a beam of light is a verb-derived extension of the word for a tree-trunk. Modern English keeps the old tree sense only in a few compounds, such as "quickbeam," the rowan tree.

Synonyms: ray, shaft

Antonyms: darkness