buttress : Idioms & Phrases
Index
Flying buttress
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noun a buttress that stands apart from the main structure and connected to it by an arch
arc-boutant.
WordNet
(Arch.) , a contrivance for taking up the thrust of a roof or vault which can not be supported by ordinary buttresses. It consists of a straight bar of masonry, usually sloping, carried on an arch, and a solid pier or buttress sufficient to receive the thrust. The word is generally applied only to the straight bar with supporting arch.- . See
Flying buttress .