noun / verb
frame
FRAYM/freɪm/
A supporting structure that gives something its shape.
The wooden frame supports the landscape painting with sturdy rails and joined corners.
Etymology
From “be helpful” or “benefit,” the verb shifted to “make ready” and then to preparing building timber. The noun came to name the fitted supporting structure itself.
In context
Longitudinal girders ran the length of the airship, connecting all the rings together into a rigid frame.
More examples
- We attach the bed's wooden legs to its metal frame.
- The window frames need a fresh coat of paint.
- The carpenters frame the walls before adding insulation.
Forms
frame · frames · framed · framing
frameless adjective — Having no surrounding or supporting frame.
Similar words
- framework
- Usually emphasizes the connected parts supporting a larger structure.
- skeleton
- Emphasizes a bare supporting structure without its outer covering.