A light wooden framework fitted together to form the skeleton of a building, typically having the vertical timbers extending the full height of the frame.
Origin
Mid 19th century; earliest use found in Commercial Herald (Milwaukee, Wisconsin).
Definition of balloon frame in US English:
balloon frame
noun
US
A light wooden framework fitted together to form the skeleton of a building, typically having the vertical timbers extending the full height of the frame.
Origin
Mid 19th century; earliest use found in Commercial Herald (Milwaukee, Wisconsin).