noun
beam
The width of a ship at its widest point.
The boat's wide beam gives the passengers room to move around.
Etymology
The older word names timber. On a ship, crosswise beams span the hull, so their direction and length supplied a name for the vessel’s width.
More examples
- The harbor record lists the vessel's length and beam.
- A ship with this beam cannot fit through the narrow lock.
- The designer compares the beams of two similar boats.
Forms
beam · beams
Similar words
- width
- The ordinary measurement term without the nautical specificity.