LUMBER

n. & v. --n. 1 disused articles of furniture etc. inconveniently taking up space. 2 useless or cumbersome objects. 3 US partly prepared timber. --v. 1 tr. a (usu. foll. by with) leave (a person etc.) with something unwanted or unpleasant (always lumbering me with the cleaning). b (as lumbered adj.) in an unwanted or inconvenient situation (afraid of being lumbered). 2 tr. (usu. foll. by together) heap or group together carelessly. 3 tr. (usu. foll. by up) obstruct. 4 intr. cut and prepare forest timber for transport. ølumber-jacket a jacket, usu. of warm checked material, of the kind worn by lumberjacks. lumber-room a room where disused or cumbrous things are kept. øølumberer n. (in sense 4 of v.). lumbering n. (in sense 4 of v.). [perh. f. LUMBER(1): later assoc. with obs. lumber pawnbroker's shop]