α. late Middle English syde-wyber, late Middle English syde-wyver, 1600s side-wiver.
β. 1600s side-wauer, 1600s syde-waver, 1700s–1900s side-waver, 1800s side-wafer, 1800s side-wefer.
† side-wavern.
Obsolete.
1. English regional (midlands and northern). A purlin. Usually in plural.
ΘΚΠ
society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > parts of building > framework of building > [noun] > roof-beam
pan1284
roof-tree1321
wiverc1325
sile1338
wind-beam1374
bindbalkc1425
trave1432
purlin1439
side-waver1451
wind-balk1532
roof beam1551
post1567
crock1570
spercil1570
collar-beam1659
camber1679
top-beam1679
camber-beam1721
jack rafter1736
hammer-beam1823
tie-beam1823
spar-piece1842
viga1844
collar1858
spanner1862
cruck1898
society > occupation and work > workplace > places where raw materials are extracted > mine > [noun] > surface works > sides of
side-waver1850
1451–2 in C. L. Kingsford Rep. MSS Ld. de l'Isle & Dudley (1925) I. 222 (MED) [Timber for] sydewybers, sydetrees, stothes, staylathes.
1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Filiere,..a side-wauer.
1641 Louth Rec. (1891) 110 To Carter for two fyne Poules for sidewivers for the schole, v s. vj d.
1671 in R. Holmes Pontefract Bk. Entries (1882) 103 Item, for syde wavers, 2. 0. 0.
1703 R. Thoresby Let. 27 Apr. in J. Ray Corr. (1848) 419 Bawks, the large timber beams that support the roof by sign-trees, under the side-wavers.
1850 J. H. Parker Gloss. Terms Archit. (ed. 5) I. 377 In some districts purlins are called ribs,..in Lincolnshire side-wavers.
1889 E. Peacock Gloss. Words Manley & Corringham, Lincs. (ed. 2) 483 Side-wavers, purlins.
2. Coal Mining. In singular or (more usually) plural. Loose material at the side of a working or excavation that is likely to fall.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > workplace > places where raw materials are extracted > mine > [noun] > part leaning over working
hanging-wall1778
side-waver1849
hanging-coal1881
hanging-side1881
society > occupation and work > materials > raw material > mineral material > ore > [noun] > residuum after ore is extracted
side-waver1849
tailings1864
1849 G. C. Greenwell Gloss. Terms Coal Trade Northumberland & Durham 48 Side-wavers, the loose sides of a drift or open-cast, which would, if unsupported, soon fall.
1868 R. Scott Ventil. Mines (ed. 2) 31 The sides of the shaft..had given way; large side-wefers had slidden off.
1894 R. O. Heslop Northumberland Words Side-wefer, side-waver, loose material at the sides of a cutting in stone or coal.
1904 Trans. Amer. Inst. Mining Engineers 1903 34 176 The use of the apparatus accentuated and magnified the..danger of accident due to the comparative inability of the wearer clearly to perceive his surroundings when creeping..past the ‘side-wavers’.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2016; most recently modified version published online December 2020).
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n.1451