Lintel, not to be confused with “a widely cultivated Eurasian annual leguminous plant” which is the lentil bean, is a structural term.
According to the Construction Dictionary, 9th Edition © 2001 published by the Greater Phoenix, Arizona Chapter #98 of the National Association of Women in Construction lintel is defined as follows:
(1) A piece of wood, stone or steel placed horizontally across the top of the door and window openings to support the walls immediately above the openings. (2) In steel work, the horizontal steel member spanning an opening to support the load above.
Where the legume may give your body the structural support it needs in the form of proteins, lintels give structural support to door and window openings–a small, subtle difference.
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