Monday, January 14, 2013

timber, timbre

Timber or timber means logs or trees used for lumber--
Lumberjacks supposedly yell "timber" as they cut down a tree.
They will need a lot of timber to build a ship.

Timbre or timbre ( rhymes with timber ) means tone or sound quality, usually of a voice or musical instrument--
Her voice was recognizable by its unusual  timbre.
This has a timbre that is something like a clarinet.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The oak timber that framed the stage gave some of the instruments a different timbre."

Note--"timbrel" means an instrument something like a tambourine--
"...bring hither the timbrel, the pleasant harp with the psaltery."

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