Lumber
/ˈlʌm.bər/noun
Wood cut or prepared for building, or bulky, awkward stuff that gets in the way.
Did you know?The English word traces back to a sense of “useless odds and ends” and is historically linked to a pawnbroker’s store of pledged valuables, not to trees at all.
Etymological Timeline
Late Middle English
English
lumber
“Clutter, useless articles, or bulky refuse; also to move clumsily.”
14th Century
Middle French
lombard
“A pawnbroker or moneylender, especially one associated with the Lombards.”
Late Latin
Latin
Langobardus
“A Lombard, member of the Germanic people from northern Italy.”
Old French
Old French
lombarderie
“A pawnbroker’s shop or moneylending business.”
17th Century
English
lumber
“Timber prepared for use in building, influenced by the earlier sense of bulky, unwanted stuff.”
Explore more surprising origins