beam

Main Entry:: ¹beam
Pronunciation:: \ˈbēm\
Function:: noun
Etymology:: Middle English beem, from Old English bēam tree, beam; akin to Old High German boum tree
Date:: before 12th century

1 a: a long piece of heavy often squared timber suitable for use in construction b: a wood or metal cylinder in a loom on which the warp is wound c: the part of a plow to which handles, standard, and coulter are attached d: the bar of a balance from which scales hang e: one of the principal horizontal supporting members (as of a building or ship) <a steel beam supporting a floor> ; also : boom , spar <the beam of a crane> f: the extreme width of a ship at the widest part g: an oscillating lever on a central axis receiving motion at one end from an engine connecting rod and transmitting it at the other2 a: a ray or shaft of light b: a collection of nearly parallel rays (as X rays) or a stream of particles (as electrons) c: a constant directional radio signal transmitted for the guidance of pilots ; also : the course indicated by a radio beam3: the main stem of a deer's antler4: the width of the buttocks

— on the beam

1: following a guiding beam2: proceeding or operating correctly

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