D defs.my
Menu ☰
Entry 3 senses · 2 variants Webster, 1913

Buttress

/bŭt'-rəs/ · But·tress · IPA /ˈbʌtɹɪs/
01 n. A projecting mass of masonry, used for resisting the thrust of an arch, or for ornament and symmetry.
  1. 1.
    A projecting mass of masonry, used for resisting the thrust of an arch, or for ornament and symmetry.(Arch.)
  2. 2.
    Anything which supports or strengthens.
Phrases & compounds
Flying buttress — See Flying buttress.
02 v. t. To support with a buttress; to prop; to brace firmly.
imp. & p. p. Buttressed; p. pr. & vb. n. Buttressing
  1. 1.
    To support with a buttress; to prop; to brace firmly.
    “To set it upright again, and to prop and buttress it up for duration.” — Burke.