poutre

See also: poutré

French

Etymology

From Old French poutre, probably from apocope of an earlier *poutrelle, from a Vulgar Latin *pultrella < pulitrella from the feminine of Latin pullitrum, ultimately from pullus (“colt, youngling”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /putʁ/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

poutre f (plural poutres)

1. (construction) beam, girder

   poutre à vive arête - square-edged beam

   • 1894, Crafty, À travers Paris, page 26:

     Une crue un peu forte s’est produite pendant la nuit, et le fleuve a recueilli un certain nombre d’objets imprudemment déposés trop près de ses rives, poutres, futailles vides, et autres matériaux susceptibles de flotter.

     A rather strong flood occurred during the night, and the river collected a certain number of objects imprudently deposited too close to its banks, beams, empty barrels, and other materials likely to float.

2. (gymnastics) balance beam

Derived terms

• poutre apparente

Further reading

• “poutre”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Anagrams

• troupe

Old French

Etymology

Probably from apocope of an earlier *poutrelle, from a Vulgar Latin *pultrella < pulitrella from the feminine of Latin pulliter, pullitrum, ultimately from pullus (“colt, youngling”).

Noun

poutre oblique singular, m (oblique plural poutres, nominative singular poutres, nominative plural poutre)

1. beam, girder

Descendants

• French: poutre