A wooden beam or timber that forms part of the structural support in a bridge, particularly the main load-bearing element.
From 'bridge' + 'tree' (Old English 'trēow', originally meaning 'wood' or 'timber'). This is a descriptive compound from medieval building terminology.
The word 'bridgetree' reveals how medieval builders literally thought of their materials—wood wasn't just 'wood,' it was 'tree,' preserving the connection between living forest and built structure in everyday language.
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