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Beam vs Flicker - What's the difference?

beam | flicker |

As nouns the difference between beam and flicker

is that beam is any large piece of timber or iron long in proportion to its thickness, and prepared for use while flicker is an unsteady flash of light or flicker can be (us) a certain type of small woodpecker, especially of the genus colaptes or flicker can be one who flicks.

As verbs the difference between beam and flicker

is that beam is (ambitransitive) to emit beams of light; shine; radiate while flicker is (lb) to burn or shine unsteadily to burn or shine with a wavering light.

beam

English

Noun

(en noun)
  • Any large piece of timber or iron long in proportion to its thickness, and prepared for use.
  • 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.
  • (nautical) The maximum width of a vessel
  • This ship has more beam than that one.
  • The crossbar of a mechanical balance, from the ends of which the scales are suspended.
  • *(rfdate) (Alexander Pope)
  • The doubtful beam long nods from side to side.
  • The principal stem of the antler of a deer.
  • (literary) The pole of a carriage.(rfc-sense)
  • *
  • (textiles) A cylinder of wood, making part of a loom, on which weavers wind the warp before weaving and the cylinder on which the cloth is rolled, as it is woven.
  • The straight part or shank of an anchor.
  • 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.
  • In steam engines, 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.
  • A ray or collection of approximatelyly parallel rays emitted from the sun or other luminous body
  • a beam of light
    a beam of energy
  • * (rfdate) Shakespeare
  • How far that little candle throws his beams !
  • * {{quote-news, year=2011
  • , date=September 22 , author=Nick Collins , title=Speed of light 'broken' by scientists , work=Daily Telegraph citation , page= , passage=A total of 15,000 beams of neutrinos were fired over a period of 3 years from CERN towards Gran Sassoin Italy, 730km (500 miles) away, where they were picked up by giant detectors. }}
  • (figuratively) A ray; a gleam
  • a beam of hope, or of comfort
  • * (rfdate) Keble
  • Mercy with her genial beam .
  • One of the long feathers in the wing of a hawk.
  • (music) A horizontal bar which connects the stems of two or more notes to group them and to indicate metric value.
  • An elevated rectangular dirt pile used to cheaply build an elevated portion of a railway.
  • Synonyms

    * (nautical) breadth * (heavy iron lever) working beam, walking beam * (sense, hawk's feather) beam feather * see also

    Hyponyms

    * (textiles) fore beam, back beam

    Derived terms

    (Derived terms) * abeam * balance beam * beam reach * beam splitter * beam-ends * beamer * beamish * beamline * beamy * bond beam * crossbeam * moonbeam * sunbeam * broad across the beam * broad in the beam * chemical beam epitaxy * high-beam * laser beam * molecular beam epitaxy * particle beam * tractor beam

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • (ambitransitive) To emit beams of light; shine; radiate.
  • to beam forth light
  • (figuratively) To smile broadly or especially cheerfully.
  • To furnish or supply with beams; give the appearance of beams to.
  • (science fiction) To transmit matter or information via a high-tech wireless mechanism.
  • Beam me up, Scotty; there's no intelligent life down here.
  • (currying) To stretch on a beam, as a hide.
  • (weaving) To put on a beam, as a chain or web.
  • (music) To connect (musical notes) with a beam, or thick line, in music notation.
  • Anagrams

    * ----

    flicker

    English

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl) .

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • An unsteady flash of light.
  • A short moment.
  • * {{quote-book, year=1963, author=(Margery Allingham), title=(The China Governess)
  • , chapter=8 citation , passage=It was a casual sneer, obviously one of a long line. There was hatred behind it, but of a quiet, chronic type, nothing new or unduly virulent, and he was taken aback by the flicker of amazed incredulity that passed over the younger man's ravaged face.}}

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • (lb) To burn or shine unsteadily. To burn or shine with a wavering light.
  • * (1809-1892)
  • *:The shadows flicker to and fro.
  • *
  • *:Long after his cigar burnt bitter, he sat with eyes fixed on the blaze. When the flames at last began to flicker and subside, his lids fluttered, then drooped; but he had lost all reckoning of time when he opened them again to find Miss Erroll in furs and ball-gown kneeling on the hearth and heaping kindling on the coals,.
  • (lb) To keep going on and off; to appear and disappear for short moments; to flutter.
  • *1898 , , (Moonfleet), Ch.3:
  • *:There I lay on one side with a thin and rotten plank between the dead man and me, dazed with the blow to my head, and breathing hard; while the glow of torches as they came down the passage reddened and flickered on the roof above.
  • *1908 , (Kenneth Grahame), (The Wind in the Willows)
  • *:The ruddy brick floor smiled up at the smoky ceiling; the oaken settles, shiny with long wear, exchanged cheerful glances with each other; plates on the dresser grinned at pots on the shelf, and the merry firelight flickered and played over everything without distinction.
  • To flutter; to flap the wings without flying.
  • *(John Dryden) (1631-1700)
  • *:And flickering on her nest made short essays to sing.
  • Etymology 2

    1808, American English, probably echoic of the bird's call, or from the white spotted plumage which appears to flicker.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (US) A certain type of small woodpecker, especially of the genus Colaptes
  • See also
    * (wikipedia "flicker")

    Etymology 3

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • One who flicks.
  • Derived terms
    * bean flicker