abutment

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English

several abutments

Etymology

First attested in 1644; engineering sense first attested in 1793. From Old French aboutement. Equivalent to abut +‎ -ment.

Pronunciation

Noun

abutment (countable and uncountable, plural abutments)

  1. The point of junction between two things, in particular a support, that abuts.
  2. (engineering, architecture) The solid portion of a structure that supports the lateral pressure of an arch or vault.
  3. (engineering) A construction that supports the ends of a bridge; a structure that anchors the cables on a suspension bridge.
    • 1959 May, “Talking of Trains: Bethnal Green alterations”, in Trains Illustrated, page 236:
      Each of the bridges consists of six separate girder spans on brick abutments.
  4. (engineering) The part of a valley or canyon wall against which a dam is constructed.
    Heavy rains have caused the dam's abutments to seep, raising concern over possible dam failure.
  5. Something that abuts, or on which something abuts.
  6. The state of abutting.
  7. (architecture) That element that shares a common boundary or surface with its neighbor.
  8. (dentistry) The tooth that supports a denture or bridge.
  9. A fixed point or surface where resistance is obtained.
    The fulcrum acted as an abutment.

Translations

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Lesley Brown, editor-in-chief, William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, editors (2002), “abutment”, in The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles, 5th edition, Oxford, New York, N.Y.: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 11.
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