A Beam of Light Was Named After a Tree
A beam is a long piece of timber, and also a ray of light. The Old English word simply meant a tree.
A beam is a long sturdy piece of timber or metal, and also a ray of light. Old English *beam* meant a tree, then a piece of one, and the light sense came from translating Latin *columna lucis*, a column of light — a beam of sunlight looks like a solid shaft. The tree sense survives in *hornbeam* and *whitebeam*, both trees. To *beam* with pleasure is to radiate it, and *broad in the beam* is nautical, from a ship's width.
- A structural timber. *A roof beam.*
- A ray of light. *A beam of sunlight.*
- To smile broadly. *She beamed.*
- A ship's width. *Broad in the beam.*
- Old English — *beam*, a tree. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | beam | A beam. |
| Plural | beams | Beams. |
| Verb | beam | Beaming. |
| Compound | hornbeam | A hornbeam. |
| Old English | beam | A tree. |
- Oak beams support the roof.Building.
- A beam of light crossed the floor.Light.
- She beamed at the news.Smile.
Trees still called beams
- Hornbeam — hard as horn, used for gears and mallets
- Whitebeam — named for the white undersides of its leaves
- Beam alone once meant any tree
- German *Baum* is the same word, still meaning tree
- Boom in sailing is a related Dutch form
Old English *beam*, a tree or beam of wood, of Germanic origin, related to German *Baum*, a tree.
Why is a ray of light called a beam?
From translating the Latin image of a column of light. A shaft of sunlight looks like a solid timber.
Is hornbeam related?
Yes. Beam once meant tree, and hornbeam means the tree whose wood is as hard as horn.