architecture: to give support or stability to (a wall or building) with a projecting structure of masonry or wood : to furnish or shore up with a buttress (see buttressentry 1 sense 1)
The word buttress first budded in the world of architecture during the 14th century, when it was used to describe an exterior support that projects from a wall to resist the sideways force, called thrust, created by the load on an arch or roof. The word ultimately comes from the Anglo-French verb buter, meaning "to thrust." Buter is also the source of our verb butt, meaning "to thrust, push, or strike with the head or horns." Buttress developed figurative use relatively soon after its adoption, being applied to anything that supports or strengthens something else. No buts about it: the world would not be the same without buttresses.
Noun
the mother had always been the buttress of our family in trying times
after the wall collapsed, the construction company agreed to rebuild it with a buttressVerb
The treaty will buttress the cause of peace.
The theory has been buttressed by the results of the experiment.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Subsequent retaining walls and buttresses have transformed the bridge into a palimpsest of building styles.—David Laskin, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 June 2024 Cases this term could further break, or buttress, trust in the court.—Henry Gass, The Christian Science Monitor, 24 Apr. 2024
Verb
That in turn can buttress their case for asylum on the grounds of religious persecution in China.—Melanie Stetson Freeman, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 May 2024 Efforts to grow live, infectious virus from positive milk samples have failed so far, buttressing the FDA’s claim that pasteurization kills H5N1 virus in milk.—Helen Branswell, STAT, 21 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for buttress
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'buttress.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun and Verb
Middle English butres, from Anglo-French (arche) boteraz thrusting (arch), ultimately from buter to thrust — more at butt entry 3
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