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Glite Dictionary
I-beam

I-beam

2 5.7
A long metal piece shaped like the letter I that supports buildings and bridges
  • noun
  • /ˈaɪˌbiːm/
  • Specialized
translation icon : viga en I
  • The wall system is supported by 50 ft long I-beam piles (108 total) that were driven down to bedrock.
  • steel I-beam
  • exposed I-beam
  • metal I-beam

But if I took that same Willow branch and loaded it top to bottom like an i-beam, it would just bend and break.

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Examples

  • So there we sit, balancing on this steel I-beam for an eternity.

    The Walk (2015)

  • The crew plans to pull out the steel I-beams and close it in.

    Blog text (1)

  • The only I-beam I could find that was exposed was not far from the elevator bank.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • An old man, wearing a garbage bag with a hole cut out for his head, leans against a blue I-beam that helps support the ceiling.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • The I-beam is constructed by drilling a hole through the steel block where the strain gauges are placed.

    Academic text (2000)

  • There's an exposed I-beam running from the ruined platform out over the catwalk.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • Trucks backed into the excavation to unload clattering I-beams.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • The construction crew installed several steel I-beams to support the new building's framework.

  • Engineers use steel I-beams in bridges because they provide excellent strength and stability.

  • The architect designed the warehouse with long I-beams to ensure it could hold heavy loads.

Synonyms

beam
vsI-beam
104 2.7

A long strong piece of wood, metal, or concrete that supports part of a building

is a specifically shaped steel or iron support with an I cross section
girder
vsI-beam
  • Specialized
14 5.0

A long strong beam usually made of steel that supports buildings or bridges

is a steel support with a cross section shaped like the letter I
load-bearing beam
vsI-beam
  • Specialized
1 5.5

A strong piece of wood or metal that holds the weight of parts of a building

is a steel support with an I shaped cross section not a generic form

How Strong

girder
  • Specialized
14 5.0
I-beam
  • Specialized
2 5.7
L-beam
  • Specialized
1 5.7
joist
5 7.5

Surface Forms

I-beam singular
I-beams plural

Morphology

I-beam = I + beam (transparent) = I + beam

The term is a straightforward compound where 'I' names the cross-sectional shape and 'beam' names the structural member, so the meaning is directly derived.

Etymology

I-beam comes from the letter I and the word beam, which means a long 'support'. It is named because if you look at its end the metal looks like an I, and that shape makes it very strong, so an I-beam is used to hold up buildings and bridges.