scantlings

noun

1. a timber of relatively slight width and thickness, as a stud or rafter in a house frame.
2. such timbers collectively.
3. the width and thickness of a timber.
4. the dimensions of a building stone.
5. Nautical.
   1. a dressed timber or rolled metal member used as a framing member in a vessel.
   2. the dimension, in cross section, of a framing member.
6. a small quantity or amount.

pl n

1. the structural casings of the internal gas paths in an aeroengine

noun

1. a piece of sawn timber, such as a rafter, that has a small cross section
2. the dimensions of a piece of building material or the structural parts of a ship, esp those in cross section
3. a building stone, esp one that is more than 6 feet in length
4. a small quantity or amount

adj.1520s, “measured or prescribed size,” altered from scantlon, scantiloun “dimension” (c.1400), earlier a type of mason’s tool for measuring thickness (c.1300), a shortening of Old French escantillon (Modern French échantillon “sample pattern”), of uncertain origin; perhaps ultimately from Latin scandere “to climb” (see scan (v.)). Sense influenced by scant. Meaning “small wooden beam” is 1660s. Related: Scantlings.