Link Centre Dictionary

buttress

butt·ress

UK/ˈbʌtɹəs/ US/ˈbʌtɹɪs/ uncommon
noun (1) verb (2)

noun

1.

a support usually of stone or brick; supports the wall of a building

Synonyms

verb

1.

reinforce with a buttress

  • “Buttress the church”
2.

make stronger or defensible

  • “buttress your thesis”

Origin

From Old French ars bouterez (noun, literally “supporting arcs”), from bouterez (adjective), oblique plural of bouteret (rare in the singular), from Frankish *bôtan, from Proto-Germanic *bautaną (“to push”). Ultimately cognate with beat.

Phrases

  • buttress root
  • flying buttress

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

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WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.