beam vs shaft

beam

noun
  • A ray; a gleam. 

  • One of the long feathers in the wing of a hawk. 

  • A horizontal bar which connects the stems of two or more notes to group them and to indicate metric value. 

  • The maximum width of a vessel (note that a vessel with a beam of 15 foot can also be said to be 15 foot abeam). 

  • One of the principal horizontal structural members, usually of steel, timber, or concrete, of a building; one of the transverse members of a ship's frame on which the decks are laid — supported at the sides by knees in wooden ships and by stringers in steel ones. 

  • The crossbar of a mechanical balance, from the ends of which the scales are suspended. 

  • The direction across a vessel, perpendicular to fore-and-aft. 

  • Any large piece of timber or iron long in proportion to its thickness, and prepared for use. 

  • The pole of a carriage or chariot. 

  • A ray or collection of approximately parallel rays emitted from the sun or other luminous body. 

  • In steam engines, a heavy iron lever having an oscillating motion on a central axis, one end of which is connected with the piston rod from which it receives motion, and the other with the crank of the wheel shaft. 

  • A cylinder of wood, making part of a loom, on which weavers wind the warp before weaving and the cylinder on which the cloth is rolled, as it is woven. 

  • The principal stem of the antler of a deer. 

  • The straight part or shank of an anchor. 

  • An elevated rectangular dirt pile used to cheaply build an elevated portion of a railway. 

  • The central bar of a plow, to which the handles and colter are secured, and to the end of which are attached the oxen or horses that draw it. 

verb
  • To put (something) on a beam. 

  • To smile broadly or especially cheerfully. 

  • To emit beams of light; to shine; to radiate. 

  • To stretch something (for example, an animal hide) on a beam. 

  • To furnish or supply with beams. 

  • To give the appearance of beams to. 

  • To transmit matter or information via a high-tech wireless mechanism. 

  • To connect (musical notes) with a beam, or thick line, in music notation. 

  • To transmit, especially by direct wireless means such as infrared. 

shaft

noun
  • A beam or ray of light. 

  • A vertical or inclined passage sunk into the earth as part of a mine 

  • A vertical passage housing a lift or elevator; a liftshaft. 

  • Anything cast or thrown as a spear or javelin. 

  • The main axis of a feather. 

  • Any column or pillar, particularly the body of a column between its capital and pedestal. 

  • The long, narrow, central body of a spear, arrow, or javelin. 

  • The chamber of a blast furnace. 

  • A ventilation or heating conduit; an air duct. 

  • A relatively small area of precipitation that an onlook can discern from the dry surrounding area. 

  • The main cylindrical part of the penis. 

  • Any long thin object, such as the handle of a tool, one of the poles between which an animal is harnessed to a vehicle, the driveshaft of a motorized vehicle with rear-wheel drive, an axle, etc. 

  • The long narrow body of a lacrosse stick. 

verb
  • To fuck over; to cause harm to, especially through deceit or treachery. 

  • To equip with a shaft. 

  • To fuck; to have sexual intercourse with. 

How often have the words beam and shaft occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )