lumber
lumber Lexical Profile
lumber Game Scores & Validity
• noun
North American Wood that has been sawed into rough planks or otherwise partly prepared for construction or carpentry.
"The contractors ordered a massive shipment of lumber to frame the new residential complex."
British Articles of furniture or other household items that are no longer useful and awkwardly take up space.
"We spent the weekend clearing the old lumber out of the attic to make room for a guest bedroom."
• verb
To move in a slow, heavy, and awkward way.
"The heavily laden delivery truck began to lumber up the steep mountain road."
British To burden someone with an unwanted responsibility, task, or physical item.
"Following the departmental restructuring, she was lumbered with all of the tedious administrative duties."
Word Nuance & Usage
In North America, 'lumber' predominantly refers to processed wood, whereas British English typically uses 'timber' for this meaning and reserves 'lumber' for unused household clutter or the verb meaning to move awkwardly.
• Rhymes for lumber
Word Origin & Etymology
The verb meaning 'to move clumsily' likely derives from Middle English 'lomere' or a Scandinavian source. The noun meaning 'clutter' (and later 'wood') may originate from 'Lombard', referring to the storerooms of Lombard pawnbrokers where unredeemed, bulky items were kept.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.