breast beam

noun

1. a horizontal bar, located at the front of a loom, over which the woven material is passed on its way to the cloth roll.
2. Architecture. breastsummer.

Word History and Origins

Origin of breast beam¹

First recorded in 1780–90

Example Sentences

In Cailliaud the warp threads are coloured in pale blue and red on top of the black lines of the drawing; he has painted the selvedge and finished cloth a pale blue, as well as that portion of G2 which is covered by the cloth indicating that this is the breast beam, G3 and G1 are painted a dark red.

From Project Gutenberg

The looms consist of an oblong frame A set up on two stones B. The warp is attached to the warp beam C on top and the breast beam D at the bottom.

From Project Gutenberg

The breast beam:—It appears to me that the three portions marked G1, G2 and G3 joined up are intended to represent the breast beam and its holding pegs, similar to the warp beam A and its pegs B1, B2, but the portion K is not clearly drawn in any of the reproductions.

From Project Gutenberg

The breast beam is held in position by two pegs near the right one of which there is a curved article of indeterminate use.

From Project Gutenberg

There is no very clear evidence as to how the finished cloth was “taken up” unless we accept it that the bulging out of the part G2 means that it was wound round the breast beam as is done on hand and power looms of the present day.

From Project Gutenberg