# jamb

Pronunciation: say "JAM" /d͡ʒæm/

## Noun

1. Either of the upright pieces that form the side of an opening in a wall, such as a doorway, window, or fireplace.
   - Simple: One of the two upright sides of a door, window, or fireplace opening.
   - _The carpenter checked that each jamb sat perfectly vertical before hanging the door._
   - _Cracks had formed where the window jambs met the sill._
2. In mining, a thick body of rock that blocks the way and keeps miners from following a lode or vein.
   - Simple: A thick block of rock that stops miners from following a vein of ore.
   - _After weeks of steady progress, the crew struck a jamb that hid the vein entirely._
   - _Drilling through the jamb took longer than mining the ore itself._
3. A piece of armor designed to protect the leg.
   - Simple: A piece of armor worn to protect the leg.
   - _The squire polished the jamb until the steel gleamed._
   - _A well-fitted jamb let the soldier march for miles without chafing his shin._

## Verb

4. To fix or attach a jamb to the side of a door, window, or other opening.
   - Simple: To fix an upright side piece onto a door or window opening.
   - _Carpenters jamb the opening with timber before fitting the door._
   - _They jamb every frame carefully so the hinges sit true._

## Origin

This word comes from Middle English jambe, from Old French jambe ("leg"), which came from Late Latin gamba ("hock, shank, leg, thigh"), and ultimately from Ancient Greek kampḗ ("turning post, bend or flexure"). It is a doublet of gam, gamb, gamba, and jambe.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/jamb (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).