buttress

1 something or someone to which one looks for support the mother had always been the buttress of our family in trying times Synonyms anchor, dependence, mainstay, pillar, reliance, standbyRelated Words backbone, sinew(s), spine; right hand; bolsterer, crutch, handmaiden (also handmaid), prop, stay; anchorage, harbor, refuge

2 a structure that holds up or serves as a foundation for something else after the wall collapsed, the construction company agreed to rebuild it with a buttress Synonyms brace, support, mount, mounting, prop, reinforcement, shore, spur, stay, underpinningRelated Words shoring; column, pedestal, pilaster, pillar; arch, bolster, bracket, cantilever, girder; bearing; crutch, peg, post, stake, stanchion, stand, stilt, strut, truss; base, foundation, frame