or pur′line
a horizontal timber supporting the rafters of a roof
Origin of purlin
Middle English purlyn from uncertain or unknown; perhapspurlin
pur·lin 
The purlins (highlighted in red) support the rafters in roof construction.
Purlin is a support board of a roof.
An example of a purlin is a horizontal wooden board holding up the rafters of a roof.
YourDictionary definition and usage example. Copyright © 2018 by LoveToKnow Corp
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"purlin." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/purlin>.
APA Style
purlin. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/purlin
purlin
Webster's New World College Dictionary, Fifth Edition Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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MLA Style
"purlin." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/purlin>.
APA Style
purlin. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/purlin
purlin
also pur·line
noun
One of several horizontal timbers supporting the rafters of a roof.
Origin of purlin
Middle EnglishTHE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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Cite this page
MLA Style
"purlin." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/purlin>.
APA Style
purlin. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/purlin
Origin
Information on the origin of the term is scant at best. According to Websters it comes from the 15th century English. According to the Oxford Concise Dictionary, it is "Middle English, perhaps of French origin". All other sources referenced Middle English or 15th Century English.
English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.
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Cite this page
MLA Style
"purlin." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/purlin>.
APA Style
purlin. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/purlin
