Recent Examples on the WebTo this day, old docks, piers and caissons are all submerged along the shoreline.—Caitlin Looby, Journal Sentinel, 2 May 2024 In the months since, the Army has retired older horses, some as old as 20 that were still part of the group pulling the more than 2,500-pound caissons, which date back to 1918.—Tara Copp, Fortune, 10 May 2023 The Army is also working on obtaining a lighter caisson to put less strain on the horses and developing new saddles and other tack to better prevent horse injuries, Pepin said.—Tara Copp, Fortune, 10 May 2023 It would be built on concrete caissons, similar to stilts commonly seen in East Coast coastal communities, to allow seawater to wash under the home, according to the plans submitted to the Coastal Commission.—Laylan Connelly, Orange County Register, 25 Feb. 2024 These fenders and caissons also defend the massive piers from seaborne attack by presenting a navigational challenge for sea drones attempting to reach them.—Ben Hodges, Led Klosky, Robert Person, Foreign Affairs, 5 Dec. 2023 The Army Military District of Washington is also considering reducing the weight of the caisson, which is about 2,800 pounds without the casket.—Eleanor Watson, CBS News, 10 May 2023 During military funerals, caissons — wheeled vehicles originally designed to carry artillery, but used since the 19th century to remove dead soldiers from battlefields — drawn by horses carry caskets to gravesites.—Justin Wm. Moyer, Washington Post, 8 May 2023 To reach this historic brick-and-cast-iron tower, volunteers catch a boat 1,500 feet offshore to the lighthouse, then climb a vertical steel-rung ladder up the side of a caisson—the watertight retaining structure that serves as the base for the structure itself.—Laura Kiniry, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Apr. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'caisson.' 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
French, from Middle French, from Old Occitan, from caissa chest, from Latin capsa — more at case
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