tim·ber (tĭm'bər)
n.

1. 1. Trees or wooded land considered as a source of wood.
   2. Wood used as a building material; lumber.
2. 1. A dressed piece of wood, especially a beam in a structure.
   2. Nautical. A rib in a ship's frame.
3. A person considered to have qualities suited for a particular activity: That trainee is executive timber.

tr.v., -bered, -ber·ing, -bers.
To support or frame with timbers: timber a mine shaft.

[Middle English, from Old English, building, trees for building.]

---

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

---