scantling
noun
[ ˈskantlɪŋ ]
• a timber beam of small cross section.
• a set of standard dimensions for parts of a structure, especially in shipbuilding.
• 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.
