jamb

noun \ ˈjam \

Definition of jamb

1 :an upright piece or surface forming the side of an opening (as for a door, window, or fireplace)

2 :a projecting columnar part or mass

See jamb defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of jamb from the Web

On a recent visit by The Bee to the fourth-floor stockroom, a staff member pointed out corroded drawer handles, door jambs and metal outlet covers.

— diana lambert, sacbee.com, "A Sacramento State chemical spill has lab techs questioning their workplace safety," 28 May 2017
At 4:10 p.m. May 14, a woman, 32, called police after noticing that wood trim around a door jamb in her home was missing.

— jeff piorkowski/special to cleveland.com, cleveland.com, "Motorist boxes in drunk driver, won't let him drive away: Solon police blotter," 17 May 2017
Don’t bother with a steel door or door frame; check for bolts on the upper half that might indicate the presence of a steel rod or 2-by-4-inch wood jamb.

— malia wollan, New York Times, "How to Kick Open a Door," 7 Apr. 2017
In some homes ISIS sniper nests were intact, their bulwarks of cooking-gas canisters and upturned credenzas and on-end mattresses still crammed between door jambs.

— National Geographic, "Surviving the Fall of ISIS," 17 Oct. 2016
The first come ready to install in rough openings with jamb and hinges attached; the second are sized to fit in finished openings but require drilling holes for hardware.

— elle decor staff, ELLE Decor, "Interior Doors," 14 Mar. 2008
Meanwhile, Swartz's cross-ideological cadres were kicking out the jambs.

— john heilemann, WIRED, "Do You know the Way to Ban Jose?," 1 Aug. 1996

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'jamb.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of jamb

Middle English jambe, borrowed from Anglo-French jambe, gaunbe "side post of a door or window," literally, "leg," going back to Late Latin gamba, camba "hock or upper leg of a horse," borrowed from Greek kampḗ "bend, flexion of a limb," probably going back to a European substratal base *kamp-, whence also perhaps Lithuanian kam̃pas "corner, hidden place," Latvian kampis "curved piece of wood, kettle hook," Gothic hamfs "maimed"

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

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