To timber or furnish with timber; to supply or construct with wooden beams and supports.
From 'be-' combined with 'timber.' This follows the verb-formation pattern where the prefix creates a verb meaning 'to supply with' or 'to furnish with' the noun that follows.
In shipbuilding and construction, 'betimber' was a technical term for the specific work of installing the wooden frame and beams. It shows how specialized trades developed their own 'be-' verbs to describe technical processes efficiently without needing long descriptions.
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