English
rafter
Rafter comes from Old English ræfter.
- Old Englishc. 450–1150ræfter
- Englishearliest quotation 1943rafter
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Old Englishc. 450–1150ræfter
- Englishearliest quotation 1943rafter
Earliest quotation: 1943, – 1944 February, George Orwell [pseudonym; Eric Arthur Blair]: “[…] the pigeons fluttered up to the rafters”.
Every English word from Old English ræfter
Today it means
noun One of a series of sloped beams that extend from the ridge or hip to the downslope perimeter or eave, designed to support the roof deck and its associated loads.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Old English ræfter / rafter