Dictionary

beam

-noun

1. Any large piece of timber or iron long in proportion to its thickness, and prepared for use.
2. One of the principal horizontal timbers of a building; one of the transverse members of a ship's frame on which the decks are laid - supported at the sides by knees in wooden ships and by stringers in steel ones.
3. (nautical) The maximum width of a vessel; as, one vessel is said to have more beam than another; also called breadth. (FM 55-501).
4. The crossbar of a mechanical balance, from the ends of which the scales are suspended.
5. The principal stem of the antler of a deer.
6. The pole of a carriage.
7. A cylinder of wood, making part of a loom, on which weavers wind the warp before weaving; also, the cylinder on which the cloth is rolled, as it is woven; one being called the fore beam, the other the back beam.
8. The straight part or shank of an anchor.
9. The central bar of a plow, to which the handles and colter are secured, and to the end of which are attached the oxen or horses that draw it.
10. A heavy iron lever having an oscillating motion on a central axis, one end of which is connected with the piston rod from which it receives motion, and the other with the crank of the wheel shaft; -- called also working beam or walking beam.
11. A ray or collection of parallel rays emitted from the sun or other luminous body; as, a beam of light, or of heat.
12. (figuratively) A ray; a gleam; as, a beam of comfort.
13. One of the long feathers in the wing of a hawk; -- called also beam feather.
14. (music) A horizontal bar which connects the stems of two or more notes to group them and to indicate metric value.

-verb

1. (science fiction) To transmit matter or information via a high-tech wireless mechanism.
2. To smile broadly or especially cheerfully.