scantling

 
Pronunciation: /ˈskantlɪŋ/

noun

  • 1a timber beam of small cross section.
  • the size to which a piece of timber or stone is measured and cut.
  • 2 (often scantlings) a set of standard dimensions for parts of a structure, especially in shipbuilding.
  • 3 archaic a specimen, sample, or small amount of something.

Origin:

early 16th century (denoting prescribed size, or a set of standard dimensions): alteration of obsolete scantillon (from Old French escantillon 'sample'), by association with the suffix -ling