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rafter

Craft Terms
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

One of the sloping beams that support a roof. It is a building term rather than a general everyday word for many readers.

Detailed Definition
A rafter is a structural beam that runs from the ridge of a roof down to the wall. In narrative poetry, the word helps locate action inside a house and gives a concrete architectural detail.
Example
Example in poetry:
“Built three baskets, high in the rafters, so rude” places objects among the roof beams; “Sparrows stitched their nest between the rafters” gives the architectural term a natural setting; “Rain drummed above us on the rafters of the barn” creates sound and shelter; “The old rafter, blackened by smoke, held the house’s history” uses craft detail evocatively
Additional Notes
The evidence uses a specific building term that some readers may not know precisely.; Found in the poem, The Miller's Tale by Richard
Other Meanings of “rafter”
Also Known As
Beam Truss Support Structural Rafter
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