English Dictionary
Definition of “buttress”
buttress (ˈbʌtrɪs
)
Definitions
noun
- piera construction, usually of brick or stone, built to support a wall See also flying buttress
- any support or prop
- something shaped like a buttress, such as a projection from a mountainside
- either of the two pointed rear parts of a horse's hoof
verb (tr)
- to support (a wall) with a buttress
- to support or sustain
Word Origin
C13: from Old French bouterez , short for ars bouterez thrusting arch, from bouter to thrust, butt³
Synonyms
View thesaurus entry
=
support,
shore,
prop,
brace,
pier,
reinforcement,
strut,
mainstay,
stanchion,
stay,
abutment,
=
support,
sustain,
strengthen,
shore,
prop,
reinforce,
back up,
brace,
uphold,
bolster,
prop up,
shore up,
augment,
Usage examples
As we came onto an elevated section of road I noticed a group of men with notebooks sitting on a concrete buttress.
Magnus Mills, THE SCHEME FOR FULL EMPLOYMENT (2003)His enrolment as a tmc member a few months ago only served to buttress the Opposition's charge.
India Today (1996)"Ice shelves act as a buttress or braking system for glaciers," according to the Centre.
Irish Times (2002)His nose, a spectacular flying buttress shoring up a pitted face, is part of his wardrobe.
Times, Sunday Times (2002)From below, it looks, absurdly, as if it were actually propping the two walls of the chasm apart, like a buttress in a cathedral.
Richard Fortey, THE EARTH: An Intimate History (2004)
