An assemblage of members of wood or metal, supported at two points, and arranged to transmit pressure vertically to those points, with the least possible strain across the length of any member. Architectural trusses when left visible, as in open timber roofs, often contain members not needed for construction, or are built with greater massiveness than is requisite, or are composed in unscientific ways in accordance with the exigencies of style.

To strengthen or stiffen, as a beam or girder, by means of a brace or braces.

Framed structure for supporting a weight, such as a roof.

A lightweight framework, generally but not always triangulated, placed at intervals of 600mm to support the roof. It is made from timber members of the same thickness, fastened together in one plane using nailplates or plywood gussets.

To bind or pack close; to tie up tightly; to make into a truss.

To skewer; to make fast, as the wings of a fowl to the body in cooking it.

name given to rigid frame of principals and tie beams or collar beams.

To tie and skewer the wings and legs of poultry or game birds before roasting.

A padded jacket or dress worn under armor, to protect the body from the effects of friction; also, a part of a woman's dress; a stomacher.

A bandage or apparatus used in cases of hernia, to keep up the reduced parts and hinder further protrusion, and for other purposes.

(medicine) a bandage consisting of a pad and belt; worn to hold a hernia in place by pressure

a belt that places pressure on the hernia

A tuft of flowers formed at the top of the main stalk, or stem, of certain plants.

fruit- or flower clusters.

a single cluster whereas a spray is a branch that contains two or more clusters

A terminal cluster of flowers.

The rope or iron used to keep the center of a yard to the mast.

To take fast hold of; to seize and hold firmly; to pounce upon.

A machine to pull a lower yard close to the mast, and retain it firmly in that position.

Engineered components that supplement rafters in many newer homes and buildings. Trusses are designed for specific applications and cannot be cut or altered.

The engineered components which have supplemented rafters in many newer houses. They are designed for specific applications and cannot be cut or altered in any way.

Engineered or solid floor joist system.