What it means
تیر (tir) covers several meanings that all share the same ancient Persian root: a beam or rafter used in construction, an arrow, and the name of the fourth month of the Iranian solar calendar. In construction contexts, tir refers to the horizontal timber or steel member that spans between walls to carry a floor or roof above it. The connection between a long wooden arrow and a long ceiling beam is easy to picture. A related term is تیرآهن (tir-ahan), meaning iron beam or I-beam, which is the standard structural steel used in modern buildings.
How to use it
- تیرهای سقف کج شدن. (tirhaye saqf kaj shodan.) “The ceiling beams have warped.”
- باید یه تیر آهن اینجا بذاریم. (bayad ye tir-ahan inja bezarim.) “We need to put a steel beam here.”
- تیر چوبی شکست. (tir-e chubi shekast.) “The wooden beam snapped.”
- فاصله بین تیرا چقدره؟ (fasele beyn-e tira cheghadre?) “What is the spacing between the beams?”
Cultural note
Traditional Iranian mud-brick architecture relied heavily on poplar and plane tree timber tir for spanning rooms, since the arid climate kept these beams dry and stable for centuries. Many historic houses in Yazd and Kashan still have their original wooden ceiling beams intact. The word’s dual life as both “arrow” and “beam” reflects the practical overlap in pre-industrial craft: straight, strong, elongated wood served both the fletcher and the builder.