buttress

noun

but·tress | \ ˈbə-trəs

Definition of buttress

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 architecture : a projecting structure of masonry or wood for supporting or giving stability to a wall or building

2 : something that resembles a buttress: such as

a : a projecting part of a mountain or hill

b biology : a horny protuberance on a horse's hoof at the heel — see hoof illustration

c botany : the broadened base of a tree trunk or a thickened vertical part of it

3 : something that supports or strengthens a buttress of the cause of peace

buttress

verb

buttressed; buttressing; buttresses

Definition of buttress (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

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 buttress entry 1 sense 1) also : support, strengthen arguments buttressed by solid facts

Other Words from buttress Synonyms Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about buttress

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Did You Know?

Noun

A buttress is an exterior support projecting from a wall that is used to resist the sideways force, also called thrust, created by the load on an arch or roof. Its name was first adopted into English as "butres" in the 14th century. It came to us from the Anglo-French (arche) boteraz, meaning "thrusting (arch)," and ultimately derives from the verb "buter," "to thrust." "Buter" is also the source of our verb butt, meaning "to thrust, push, or strike with the head or horns." Relatively soon, "buttress" came to be used figuratively for anything that supports or strengthens something else. In addition, it was also in the 14th century that "buttress" was first used as a verb meaning "to support or strengthen," literally and figuratively.

Examples of buttress in a Sentence

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 buttress

Verb

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

The original buttresses were deemed at some point not strong enough and were replaced by larger ones in the 14th century. — Klara Glowczewska, Town & Country, "Notre Dame Cathedral Will Never Be the Same—and That's Ok," 19 Apr. 2019 Starting in 2017, the cathedral, which was build in the 12th and 13th centuries, began a fundraising campaign for renovations to its spire, buttresses, and interior that resulted in scaffolding around the building. — Steff Yotka, Vogue, "Fashion Luxury Groups, Kering and LVMH, Pledge Combined 300 Million Euros to Repair Notre Dame," 16 Apr. 2019 Volante’s curvaceous decklid, integrating the leather-upholstered tonneau and twin head buttresses, makes the DB11’s heavy haunches and Coke-bottle waist even more explicit. — Dan Neil, WSJ, "2019 Aston Martin DB11 Volante: A Six-Figure Car That’s Worth Every Penny," 26 Apr. 2018 Read more: All Mason lodges symbolically sit from east to west and every pillar, buttress and stair has some sort of symbolic meaning, the docents leading the tour said. — Detroit Free Press, "Tour offers a peek inside Detroit's Masonic Temple," 17 June 2018 Cherven’s medieval town—perched on a buttress of rock high above the river and the modern village. — Henry Wismayer, WSJ, "Undiscovered Europe: A Vacation Like No Other," 23 May 2018 During the day, the mounds' outer buttresses heat up faster than their central chimneys. — National Geographic, "6 Amazing Structures Built by Surprising Creatures," 7 May 2018 At each corner of the mausoleum is a three-quarter column, also covered in the basket-weave pattern and slightly tilted inward to act as a buttress. — Judith H. Dobrzynski, WSJ, "A Final Resting Place, Both Beguiling and Beautiful," 4 May 2018 Bridenstine has since acknowledged a human influence and has sounded support for NASA’s $1.9 billion in earth science research—a major buttress of climate science in the United States. — Paul Voosen, Science | AAAS, "Bridenstine confirmed to serve as NASA administrator," 19 Apr. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Factors including labor-market gains, rising wages and elevated consumer confidence are converging to help buttress spending this season. — Sarah Chaney, WSJ, "Holiday Season Retail Sales Heat Up," 14 Dec. 2018 Tesla has been criticized for not including a robust driver monitoring system to buttress Autopilot. — Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, "George Hotz is on a hacker crusade against the ‘scam’ of self-driving cars," 13 July 2018 Any other evidence that prosecutors might have to buttress Cohen’s potential testimony remains unclear. — Charlie Savage, The Seattle Times, "Trump lays out a defense for potential campaign-finance crimes," 10 Dec. 2018 Internal objections have been buttressed with external support from academics, researchers, and shareholders. — Nitasha Tiku, WIRED, "Microsoft's Ethical Reckoning Is Here," 18 June 2018 The discovery buttresses the theory of a massive flood. — Martin Finucane, BostonGlobe.com, "Mile-high waterfall might have once connected eastern, western Mediterranean," 22 Mar. 2018 One of Red Table’s executive producers, longtime Oprah Winfrey Show vet and multiple-Emmy-winner, Ellen Rakieten, buttresses Jada’s statement. — Mariano Vivanco; Styled By Simon Robins, Harper's BAZAAR, "The New American Dynasty," 3 Dec. 2018 With their first pick, which came 12 spots before Rankin, the Texans buttressed their defensive depth in a smart way by getting safety Justin Reid (Eric’s brother). — Andy Benoit, SI.com, "2018 NFL Draft Grades: Analysis of All 32 Teams," 28 Apr. 2018 Inverted tension Brunelleschi found inspiration for his design in the inverted catenary shape of the Pantheon, which is an ideal shape for domes because the innate physical forces can support the structure with no need for buttressing. — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, "Italy’s famous dome is cracking, and cosmic rays could help save it," 21 Aug. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'buttress.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.