Girder

Podcast 1 · Introduction

Girder

A documentary-style narration: origin, meaning, and feel.

Part of speech

noun

Pronunciation

GUR-duh  /ˈɡɜːdə/

Definition

A large beam, usually of steel or reinforced concrete, used in construction to support the framework of a building or bridge; a main structural support member.

Plain meaning

A girder is the large structural beam that carries the main loads in a building or bridge — the heavy steel or concrete member that everything else rests on.

Register

Technical and specialist in engineering, construction, and architecture. Everyday in descriptions of industrial or bridge structures. Working-class British cultural associations — particularly the Cockney rhyming slang use of 'plates of meat' and similar phrases in bridge and construction contexts.