English → Latin
“beam” in Latin
tignumbuilding stuff, lumber; tree trunk; logtrabstimber, beam, rafter; tree trunk; penisradiusa ray of light (also reflected); the name of an elongated variety of olive; the name of a rod with which geometers make fulgeōto blaze, flash, lighten, glitter, gleam, glare, glisten, shine; to be resplendent, illustrious, conspicuous (thanks to radiōto cause to radiate, irradiate; to radiate, emit beamsostendōto expose to view, exhibit, show; to reveal, expose, make known; to explain, clarify
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
beam
tignum; trabs. [trabs, a longer and narrower beam; tignum, a shorter and thicker one. A raft consists of trabes, not of tigna; whereas the wood-work of a building, which, as a pillar, is destined to support something, is composed of tigna, not of trabes, by which the cross-beams only are denoted, Döderlein]. PROV., to see motes in the eyes of others, and not to see beams in one’s own, magis in aliis cernere, quam in nobismet ipsis, si quid delinquitur (Cic., Off., 1, 41, 146); videre nostra mala non possumus; alii simul delinquunt, censores sumus (Phaedrus, 4, 10, 5); aliorum vitia in oculis habemus, a tergo nostra (Sen., De Ir., 2, 28, 6); papulasobservas alienas, ipse obsitus plurimis ulceribus (Sen., De Vit. Beat., 27, 4); cum tua pervideas oculis mala lippus inunctis, cur in amicorum vitiis tam cernis acutum, quam aut aquila aut serpens Epidaurius? (Hor., Sat., 1, 3, 25, sqq.).
Ray of light, radius.
Of a balance, scapus (Vitr.); jugum.
beam v.
radios fundere: fulgere (both of light and of illuminated objects): radiare (“to emit beams”: in the sense of “glitter” it does not belong to sober prose): with anything, radiare aliqua re: a ray of hope beams upon me, spes aliqua mihi affulget, or ostenditur: to beam with silver light, radiare lumine argenti (Ov., Met., 2, 4).
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for beam?
- The usual Latin words for “beam” are tignum, trabs, radius; also fulgeō, radiō, ostendō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.
Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.