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a. Well-proportioned; symmetrical. [ Poetic ] Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who, or that which, climbs: (a) (Bot.) A plant that climbs. (b) (Zool.) A bird that climbs, as a woodpecker or a parrot. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ From Climb; cf. Clamber. ] To climb; to mount with effort; to clamber. [ Obs. ] Tusser. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Arch.) Constructed of a timber frame, having the spaces filled in with masonry; -- said of buildings. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. imbecillis, and imbecillus; of unknown origin: cf. F. imbécile. ] Destitute of strength, whether of body or mind; feeble; impotent; esp., mentally wea; feeble-minded; as, hospitals for the imbecile and insane.

Syn. -- Weak; feeble; feeble-minded; idiotic. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. One destitute of strength; esp., one of feeble mind; -- sometimes used as a pejorative term. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Psychology) A person with a degree of mental retardation between that of an idiot and a moron; in a former classification of mentally retarded person, it applied to a person with an adult mental age of from four to eith years, and an I.Q. of from 26 to 50. [ PJC ]

v. t. To weaken; to make imbecile; as, to imbecile men's courage. [ Obs. ] Jer. Taylor. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To weaken, as to the body or the mind; to enfeeble. [ R. ] A. Wilson. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Imbecilities [ L. imbecillitas: cf. F. imbécillité. ] The quality of being imbecile; weakness; feebleness, esp. of mind. [ 1913 Webster ]

Cruelty . . . argues not only a depravedness of nature, but also a meanness of courage and imbecility of mind. Sir W. Temple. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ This term is used specifically to denote natural weakness of the mental faculties, affecting one's power to act reasonably or intelligently.

Syn. -- Debility; infirmity; weakness; feebleness; impotence. See Debility. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Imbedded p. pr. & vb. n. Imbedding. ] [ Pref. im- in + bed. Cf. Embed. ] To sink or lay, as in a bed; to deposit in a partly inclosing mass, as of clay or mortar; to cover, as with earth, sand, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. imbellis; pref. im- = in- not + bellum war; cf. bellicus warlike. ] Not warlike or martial. [ Obs. ] R. Junius. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Pref. im- in + bench. ] A raised work like a bench. [ Obs. ] Parkhurst. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Zool.) The loon. See Ember-goose. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ Obs. ] See Embezzle. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Abbrev. of alembic. ] An alembic; a still. [ Obs. ] Spenser. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To distill. [ Obs. ] Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Having limbs; -- much used in composition; as, large-limbed; short-limbed. [ 1913 Webster ]

Innumerous living creatures, perfect forms,
Limbed and full grown. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ For limmer, Icel. limar branches, boughs, pl. of lim; akin to E. limb. See Limb a branch. ] 1. pl. The shafts or thills of a wagon or carriage. [ Prov. Eng. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Mil.) The detachable fore part of a gun carriage, consisting of two wheels, an axle, and a shaft to which the horses are attached. On top is an ammunition box upon which the cannoneers sit. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. pl. (Naut.) Gutters or conduits on each side of the keelson to afford a passage for water to the pump well. [ 1913 Webster ]

Limber boards (Naut.), short pieces of plank forming part of the lining of a ship's floor immediately above the timbers, so as to prevent the limbers from becoming clogged. --
Limber box or
Limber chest (Mil.), a box on the limber for carrying ammunition. --
Limber rope,
Limber chain or
Limber clearer (Naut.), a rope or chain passing through the limbers of a ship, by which they may be cleared of dirt that chokes them. Totten. --
Limber strake (Shipbuilding), the first course of inside planking next the keelson. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Limbered p. pr. & vb. n. Limbering. ] (Mil.) To attach to the limber; as, to limber a gun. [ 1913 Webster ]

To limber up, to change a gun carriage into a four-wheeled vehicle by attaching the limber. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Akin to limp, a. √125. See Limp, a. ] Easily bent; flexible; pliant; yielding. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

The bargeman that doth row with long and limber oar. Turbervile. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To cause to become limber; to make flexible or pliant. Richardson. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality or state of being limber; flexibleness. Boyle. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Etymol. uncertain. ] A moaning or sighing sound or noise; a sough. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Probably the same word as timber sort of wood; cf. Sw. timber, LG. timmer, MHG. zimber, G. zimmer, F. timbre, LL. timbrium. Cf. Timmer. ] (Com.) A certain quantity of fur skins, as of martens, ermines, sables, etc., packed between boards; being in some cases forty skins, in others one hundred and twenty; -- called also timmer. [ Written also timbre. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. timbre. See Timbre. ] (Her.) The crest on a coat of arms. [ Written also timbre. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To surmount as a timber does. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ AS. timbor, timber, wood, building; akin to OFries. timber, D. timmer a room, G. zimmer, OHG. zimbar timber, a dwelling, room, Icel. timbr timber, Sw. timmer, Dan. tömmer, Goth. timrjan to build, timrja a builder, L. domus a house, Gr. &unr_; house, &unr_; to build, Skr. dama a house. √62. Cf. Dome, Domestic. ] 1. That sort of wood which is proper for buildings or for tools, utensils, furniture, carriages, fences, ships, and the like; -- usually said of felled trees, but sometimes of those standing. Cf. Lumber, 3. [ 1913 Webster ]

And ta'en my fiddle to the gate, . . .
And fiddled in the timber! Tennyson. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The body, stem, or trunk of a tree. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Fig.: Material for any structure. [ 1913 Webster ]

Such dispositions are the very errors of human nature; and yet they are the fittest timber to make politics of. Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. A single piece or squared stick of wood intended for building, or already framed; collectively, the larger pieces or sticks of wood, forming the framework of a house, ship, or other structure, in distinction from the covering or boarding. [ 1913 Webster ]

So they prepared timber . . . to build the house. 1 Kings v. 18. [ 1913 Webster ]

Many of the timbers were decayed. W. Coxe. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. Woods or forest; wooden land. [ Western U. S. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

6. (Shipbuilding) A rib, or a curving piece of wood, branching outward from the keel and bending upward in a vertical direction. One timber is composed of several pieces united. [ 1913 Webster ]

Timber and room. (Shipbuilding) Same as Room and space. See under Room. --
Timber beetle (Zool.), any one of numerous species of beetles the larvae of which bore in timber; as, the silky timber beetle (Lymexylon sericeum). --
Timber doodle (Zool.), the American woodcock. [ Local, U. S. ] --
Timber grouse (Zool.), any species of grouse that inhabits woods, as the ruffed grouse and spruce partridge; -- distinguished from prairie grouse. --
Timber hitch (Naut.), a kind of hitch used for temporarily marking fast a rope to a spar. See Illust. under Hitch. --
Timber mare, a kind of instrument upon which soldiers were formerly compelled to ride for punishment. Johnson. --
Timber scribe, a metal tool or pointed instrument for marking timber. Simmonds. --
Timber sow. (Zool.) Same as Timber worm, below. Bacon. --
Timber tree, a tree suitable for timber. --
Timber worm (Zool.), any larval insect which burrows in timber. --
Timber yard, a yard or place where timber is deposited. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Timbered p. pr. & vb. n. Timbering. ] To furnish with timber; -- chiefly used in the past participle. [ 1913 Webster ]

His bark is stoutly timbered. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. 1. To light on a tree. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Falconry) To make a nest. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. 1. Furnished with timber; -- often compounded; as, a well-timbered house; a low-timbered house. L'Estrange. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Built; formed; contrived. [ R. ] Sir H. Wotton. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Massive, like timber. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

His timbered bones all broken, rudely rumbled. Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Covered with growth timber; wooden; as, well-timbered land. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Naut.) The top end of a timber, rising above the gunwale, and serving for belaying ropes, etc.; -- called also kevel head. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The act of furnishing with timber; also, timbers, collectively; timberwork; timber. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Timber + -ling. ] A small tree. [ Eng. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Timbermen (Mining) A man employed in placing supports of timber in a mine. Weale. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Work made of timbers. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Naut.) The highest timbers on the side of a vessel, being those above the futtocks. R. H. Dana, Jr. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ 1st pref. un- + limber. ] (Mil.) To detach the limber from; as, to unlimber a gun. [ 1913 Webster ]