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Glite Dictionary
trimmer arch

trimmer arch

9.9
A curved support built between short floor beams to carry the weight of a fireplace opening
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : arco de refuerzo
  • Before installing the new hearth, builders reinforced the floor with a trimmer arch.

Examples

  • The old house featured a trimmer arch beneath the fireplace to ensure its stability.

  • A mason explained how the trimmer arch distributes the fireplace's weight across the joists.

  • The trimmer arch supports the fireplace beautifully.

  • Many builders prefer using a trimmer arch in their designs.

  • A mason explained how the trimmer arch distributes the fireplace's weight across the joists.

  • Before installing the new hearth, builders reinforced the floor with a trimmer arch.

  • The old house featured a trimmer arch beneath the fireplace to ensure its stability.

Synonyms

arch
vstrimmer arch
41 3.5

A curved structure that spans an opening and supports weight

is constructed within a floor to carry the weight of a hearth opening

Surface Forms

trimmer arch singular
trimmer arches plural

Morphology

trimmer + arch

The meaning is directly compositional: combining 'trimmer' (a framing joist that supports an opening) with 'arch' (an arched load-bearing structure) yields an arch placed between trimmers to support a hearth or fireplace opening. Although the term is technical, the noun+noun composition follows regular English compounding patterns, so a learner who knows both constituents can infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

The noun trimmer arch is a small arch built between two short floor beams called trimmers so a heavy fireplace can sit safely on the floor. The arch passes the weight to the nearby beams, which is why the name means 'an arch between trimmers'.