Where does “beam” come from?

Beam comes from Old English bēam, from Proto-Germanic baumaz, from Proto-Indo-European bʰew-, with the original sense referring to a tree or wooden structure.

beam (English): Any large piece of timber or iron long in...

Definitions

Any large piece of timber or iron long in...

Ancestry of “beam”, step by step

Step	Language	Word	Meaning
1	Middle English	beem	—
2	Old English	bēam	tree, cross, gallows, column, pillar, wood, beam,...
3	Proto-West Germanic	baum	tree; beam
4	Proto-Germanic	baumaz	Alternative form of *bagmaz; tree, beam, balk;...
5	Proto-Indo-European	bʰew-	to grow, swell; to swell, wax, grow; to blow; to...

Words derived from “beam”

abeam
beamforming
moonbeam
beamwidth
beamformer
beamline
crossbeam
multibeam
microbeam
beamlet
beamer
beampattern
beamless
beamish
tiebeam
beamspace
eyebeam
nanobeam
beamlike
roofbeam
beamformed
superbeam
beampipe
daybeam

Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰew- →

beam — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer