Word of the Day

: May 25, 2008

buttress

noun BUTT-russ

What It Means

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

2 : something that resembles a buttress

3 : something that supports or strengthens

buttress in Context

This is a good essay, but it needs a few more facts as a buttress to the conclusions.

Did You Know?

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.