Any large piece of timber or iron long in proportion to its thickness, and prepared for use. • One of the principal horizontal structural members, usually of steel, timber, or concrete, of a building. • One of the transverse members of a ship's frame on which the decks are laid, and acting as part of the support for keeping the sides of the vessel in shape — supported at the sides by knees in wooden ships and by stringers in steel ones; cf. abeam, beam-ends. • The maximum width of a vessel (note that a vessel with a beam of 15 foot can also be said to be 15 foot abeam). • The direction across a vessel, perpendicular to fore-and-aft. • The straight part or shank of an anchor. • The crossbar of a mechanical balance, from the ends of which the scales are suspended. • In steam engines, a heavy iron lever having an oscillating motion on a central axis, one end of which is connected with the piston rod from which it receives motion, and the other with the crank of the wheel shaft. • The central bar of a plow, to which the handles and colter are secured, and to the end of which are attached the oxen or horses that draw it. • A ray or collection of approximately parallel rays emitted from the sun or other luminous body. • The principal stem of the antler of a deer, which branches grow out from. • One of the long feathers in the wing of a hawk. • The pole of a carriage or chariot. • A cylinder of wood, making part of a loom, on which weavers wind the warp before weaving and the cylinder on which the cloth is rolled, as it is woven. • A ray; a gleam. • A horizontal bar which connects the stems of two or more notes to group them and to indicate metric value. • An elevated rectangular dirt pile used to cheaply build an elevated portion of a railway. • A balance beam. • A gymnastic activity or event using a balance beam. • A broad smile.