king postn.
/ˈkɪŋ pəʊst/, U.S. /ˈkɪŋ ˌpoʊst/ 1. Building. An upright post in the centre of a roof truss, extending from the tie beam to the apex of the truss. Cf. king n. 13.
ΘΚΠ
society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > parts of building > framework of building > [noun] > roof-beam > rafter > posts
pendant1359
pendant-post1359
side post1625
crown post1663
king piece1663
king post1669
hip pole1783
queen post1797
king1811
queen1811
middle post1819
ashlar-piece1869
wall-post1871
pendentive1893
1669 J. Brown Descr. & Use Ordinary Joynt-rule 12 For the Angle at Head or King-post and foot of the Hips..set one point of the Compasses in the half Diagonal-line.
1733 F. Price Treat. Carpentry 7 At B, is the Joynt of a Strut or Brace, as f, fram'd into the Bottom of a King Post, as e.
1776 G. Semple Treat. Building in Water 115 The King-post, h. may be the same.
1818 B. Hall Acct. Voy. Corea i. 47 The roof was well constructed, the rafters being..tied to the middle by a perpendicular beam or King-Post.
1891 A. White Tries at Truth iii. 15 In building a porch, the king-post is the beam on which the whole structure rests.
1932 H. Ashton Bricks & Mortar v. 101 He put his head through the trap-door into the cobwebbed attics and saw the tie-beams and chamfered king-post above him.
1970 N. Pevsner Cambridgeshire (Buildings of Eng. Ser.) (ed. 2) 70 It is of hammerbeam type, with three collars and kingposts.
2005 Woodworker May 62/2 Place the top beam straight onto the king posts and secure it.
2. Nautical. A strong supporting post or mast, esp. one used to support a boom.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > equipment of vessel > masts, rigging, or sails > spar > [noun] > mast > derrick mast
steeve1840
king post1858
1858 Artizan Nov. 260/2 The boom is secured at about the middle of its length to a central mast, or king-post.
1906 Black Diamond 26 Nov. 12/1 Each king post carries two steel booms.
1927 G. Bradford Gloss. Sea Terms 95/2 King post, a short derrick mast to support the smaller cargo booms.
1948 R. de Kerchove Internat. Maritime Dict. 385/1 King post. 1. A short heavy mast which serves to support a boom. 2. The centerline pillars in a ship's hold.
1961 F. H. Burgess Dict. Sailing 127 Kingpost, a vertical post, sometimes resembling a mast, erected near the hatches, to support and top a derrick boom.
1997 Ottawa Citizen (Nexis) 26 Oct. d16 The wind is a deafening whistle that changes pitch as it blows round the king-posts and the winches.
Compounds
General attributive in sense 1, as king-post roof, king-post truss.
ΚΠ
1774 T. Skaife Key Civil Archit. lx. 221 King-post roofs with purlines.
1885 E. S. Morse Japanese Homes (1886) i. 10 He fairly loathes a structure that has no king-post..truss.
1907 H. Adams Building Constr. 229/2 A king-post-truss..is used up to 30-ft. span and a queen-post truss..beyond, so that the unsupported length of principal rafter shall not exceed the safe limit.
1986 J. P. Jones Handbk. Constr. Contracting I. vii. 175/2 The upper chord of the king-post truss is only supported at the center.
2012 Birmingham Post (Nexis) 22 Nov. The lounge has a particularly substantial oak kingpost roof truss.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2017; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1669