abutment

noun

abut·​ment ə-ˈbət-mənt 

plural abutments

1

: the place at which one thing borders on or abuts another

Once it chanced that I stood in the very abutment of a rainbow's arch, which filled the lower stratum of the atmosphere, tinging the grass and leaves around, and dazzling me as if I looked through colored crystal.

—Henry David Thoreau

2

a

: the part of a structure (such as an arch or a bridge) that directly receives thrust or pressure

b

dentistry : a tooth or part of a dental implant to which a prosthetic appliance (such as a bridge or artificial crown) is attached for support

A dental bridge, like a highway bridge … is supported by abutments, sound teeth on either side of the empty gap.

—Mount Sinai Medical Center Family Guide to Dental Health

Examples of abutment in a Sentence

The car crashed into a bridge abutment.

Recent Examples on the Web

So far, as Yon reports, there are only abutments, but soon there will be a span over water. —Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 6 Jan. 2025

An abutment, or a connecting structure, is placed on top of or built into the implant to connect it to the replacement tooth (called a crown). —Laura Schober, Health, 1 Aug. 2024

Emergency repairs to the abutment of the Ocean City Expressway bridge were completed at 1 a.m. Thursday morning after a sinkhole on westbound Route 90 caused one-way traffic for about six hours on the evening of a peak summer travel day. —Dan Belson, Baltimore Sun, 5 July 2024

The Rapidan Dam’s west abutment failed Monday, sending the river around the dam and eroding the bank where the home sat. —Margery A. Beck, Twin Cities, 26 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

abut + -ment

First Known Use

1644, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

abutment

noun

abut·​ment ə-ˈbət-mənt 

1

: the place of abutting

2

: something against which another thing rests its weight or pushes with force

abutments that support a bridge

Medical Definition

abutment

noun

abut·​ment ə-ˈbət-mənt 

: a tooth or part of a dental implant to which a prosthetic appliance (such as a bridge or artificial crown) is attached for support

A dental bridge, like a highway bridge … is supported by abutments, sound teeth on either side of the empty gap.

—Mount Sinai Medical Center Family Guide to Dental Health

Once the healing period is over, the gum is cut open again and a little metal cylinder called an abutment is put in the implant. It takes another few days for the gum to heal before the crown is put on …

—Harvard Health Letter

Legal Definition

abutment

noun

abut·​ment ə-ˈbət-mənt 

: the place at which abutting occurs

at the abutment of two properties