■ noun
1》 a timber beam of small cross section.
↘the size to which a piece of timber or stone is measured and cut.
2》 (often ~s ) a set of standard dimensions for parts of a structure, especially in shipbuilding.
3》 archaic a specimen, sample, or small amount.
Origin
C16: alt. of obs. scantillon (from OFr. escantillon 'sample'), by assoc. with the suffix -ling .