Dictionary

buttress en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈbʌtɹɪs/ (US)
• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈbʌtɹəs/ (UK)

Etymology

From Old French ars bouterez (noun, literally “supporting arcs”), from bouterez (adjective), oblique plural of bouteret (rare in the singular), from Frankish *bôtan, from Proto-Germanic *bautaną (“to push”). Ultimately cognate with beat.

Meanings

1. A brick, concrete or stone structure built against another structure to support it.
   • It was decided, therefore, to build eight concrete buttresses from the new strengthening work to safeguard the general stability of the wall along the length where the greatest movement had taken place. 1954 June, “Strengthening of River Calder Retaining Wall, N.E.R.”, in Railway Magazine, page 429:
2. (broadly) Anything that serves to support something; a prop.
3. A buttress root.
4. A feature jutting prominently out from a mountain or rock.
   • Two short pitches up a chimney-crack are followed by a traverse right to the centre of the buttress. 2010, Tony Howard, Treks and Climbs in Wadi Rum, Jordan, →ISBN, page 84:
   • Crowell Buttresses, Dismal Buttress
   • All that day they rode into broken land. The prairie with its grass and rolling hills was behind them, and they entered a sparse, dry, rocky country, full of draws and short cañons and ominous buttresses. 2005, Will Cook, Until Darkness Disappears, page 54:
5. (figuratively) Anything that supports or strengthens.
   • the grand pillar and buttress of the good old cause of nonconformity 1692 October 30, Robert South, A Further Account of the Nature and Measures of Conscience:

Forms

Coordinates

pilaster

Deriveds

flying buttress · buttresslike · buttress root · buttressless

Synonyms

bluff · crag · counterfort · brace

Translations (97)

hu támasz (anything that serves to support something) · ru контрфорс (brick or stone structure built against another structure to support it) · nl stut (anything that serves to support something) · hu támpillér (brick or stone structure built against another structure to support it) · pl podpora (anything that serves to support something) · no støtte (anything that serves to support something) · nl steun (brick or stone structure built against another structure to support it) · de Aussteifung (anything that serves to support something) · pt proteção (anything that serves to support something) · fr contrefort (brick or stone structure built against another structure to support it) · es boterete (brick or stone structure built against another structure to support it) · nl stut (brick or stone structure built against another structure to support it) · de Felsenspitze (feature jutting out from mountain; crag, bluff) · de Gewölbepfeiler (brick or stone structure built against another structure to support it) · pt apoio (anything that serves to support something) · bg подпора (anything that serves to support something) · nl steunbeer (brick or stone structure built against another structure to support it) · sh podupirač (anything that serves to support something) · pt anteparo (anything that serves to support something) · ru опо́ра (anything that serves to support something) · de Strebe (anything that serves to support something) · de Vorbau (feature jutting out from mountain; crag, bluff) · hy հենարան (anything that serves to support something) · de Stempel (anything that serves to support something) · pt reforço (anything that serves to support something) · es estribo (brick or stone structure built against another structure to support it) · ota پاینده (brick or stone structure built against another structure to support it) · gl contraforte (brick or stone structure built against another structure to support it) · cs opora (anything that serves to support something) · la erisma (brick or stone structure built against another structure to support it) · mk потпорка (brick or stone structure built against another structure to support it) · de Gegenlager (brick or stone structure built against another structure to support it) · it contrafforte (brick or stone structure built against another structure to support it) · de Strebepfeiler (brick or stone structure built against another structure to support it) · pt botaréu (brick or stone structure built against another structure to support it) · uk контрфо́рс (brick or stone structure built against another structure to support it) · nl steun (anything that serves to support something) · it sperone (brick or stone structure built against another structure to support it) · de Abstützung (anything that serves to support something) · it contrafforti (brick or stone structure built against another structure to support it) · ca contrafort (brick or stone structure built against another structure to support it) · de Strebewerk (brick or stone structure built against another structure to support it) · uk підтри́мка (anything that serves to support something) · bg опора (anything that serves to support something) · sh potporanj (brick or stone structure built against another structure to support it) · es estribo (feature jutting out from mountain; crag, bluff) · ro contrafort (brick or stone structure built against another structure to support it) · it sperone (anything that serves to support something) · mk потпора (anything that serves to support something) · de Felsspitze (feature jutting out from mountain; crag, bluff) · bg контрафорс (brick or stone structure built against another structure to support it) · cs opěrný pilíř (brick or stone structure built against another structure to support it) · fi tuki (anything that serves to support something) · de Stützpfeiler (brick or stone structure built against another structure to support it) · es sostén (anything that serves to support something) · de Pfeiler (brick or stone structure built against another structure to support it) · sv strävpelare (brick or stone structure built against another structure to support it) · fr appui (anything that serves to support something) · es apoyo (anything that serves to support something) · ru подпорка (anything that serves to support something) · es machón (brick or stone structure built against another structure to support it) · es contrafuerte (brick or stone structure built against another structure to support it) · pt contraforte (brick or stone structure built against another structure to support it) · sh potporanj (anything that serves to support something) · mi hirinaki (anything that serves to support something) · fr arc-boutant (brick or stone structure built against another structure to support it) · ota پاینده (anything that serves to support something) · sk oporný pilier (brick or stone structure built against another structure to support it) · mi kaumahaki (anything that serves to support something) · no støtte (brick or stone structure built against another structure to support it) · de Vorsprung (feature jutting out from mountain; crag, bluff) · sv stötta (brick or stone structure built against another structure to support it) · sv stötta (anything that serves to support something) · fi tukipilari (brick or stone structure built against another structure to support it) · es contrafuerte (feature jutting out from mountain; crag, bluff) · hu támfal (brick or stone structure built against another structure to support it) · it supporto (anything that serves to support something) · it corroborazione (anything that serves to support something) · it sperone (feature jutting out from mountain; crag, bluff) · hy նեցուկ (anything that serves to support something) · de Stütze (anything that serves to support something) · mi whirinaki (anything that serves to support something) · es refuerzo (anything that serves to support something) · bg рид (feature jutting out from mountain; crag, bluff) · de Klippe (feature jutting out from mountain; crag, bluff) · pt contraforte (anything that serves to support something) · da stræbepille (brick or stone structure built against another structure to support it) · pt contraforte (feature jutting out from mountain; crag, bluff) · pl przypora (brick or stone structure built against another structure to support it) · el αντηρίδα (brick or stone structure built against another structure to support it) · mk контрафор (brick or stone structure built against another structure to support it) · de Felsvorsprung (feature jutting out from mountain; crag, bluff) · nl beer (brick or stone structure built against another structure to support it) · uk опо́ра (anything that serves to support something) · uk підпо́ра (brick or stone structure built against another structure to support it) · es estantal (brick or stone structure built against another structure to support it) · fr corroboration (anything that serves to support something)

buttress en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /ˈbʌtɹɪs/ (US)
• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈbʌtɹəs/ (UK)

Etymology

From Old French ars bouterez (noun, literally “supporting arcs”), from bouterez (adjective), oblique plural of bouteret (rare in the singular), from Frankish *bôtan, from Proto-Germanic *bautaną (“to push”). Ultimately cognate with beat.

Meanings

1. To support something physically with, or as if with, a prop or buttress.
2. (broadly, figuratively) To support something or someone by supplying evidence.
   • Buttressed by elaborate account statements and a deep reservoir of trust from his investors and regulators, Mr. Madoff steered his fraud scheme safely through a severe recession in the early 1990s, a global financial crisis in 1998 and the anxious aftermath of the terrorist attacks in September 2001. 2021 April 14, Diana B. Henriques, “Bernard Madoff, Architect of Largest Ponzi Scheme in History, Is Dead at 82”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:

Forms

Synonyms

substantiate · corroborate

Translations (27)

nl ondersteunen (support something or someone by supplying evidence) · nl onderbouwen (support something or someone by supplying evidence) · bg поддържам (support something or someone by supplying evidence) · fr corroborer (support something or someone by supplying evidence) · es afianzar (support something or someone by supplying evidence) · it sostenere (support something or someone by supplying evidence) · de verstärken (support something physically with, or as if with, a buttress) · no støtte (support something physically with, or as if with, a buttress) · it rafforzare (support something or someone by supplying evidence) · de untermauern (support something or someone by supplying evidence) · it corroborare (support something or someone by supplying evidence) · nl stutten (support something physically with, or as if with, a buttress) · es apuntalar (support something physically with, or as if with, a buttress) · de stützen (support something or someone by supplying evidence) · sv stötta (support something physically with, or as if with, a buttress) · de stützen (support something physically with, or as if with, a buttress) · bg подпирам (support something physically with, or as if with, a buttress) · sh podboltati (support something physically with, or as if with, a buttress) · fi tukea (support something or someone by supplying evidence) · it appoggiare (support something or someone by supplying evidence) · fi tukea (support something physically with, or as if with, a buttress) · mk поддржува (support something or someone by supplying evidence) · mk потпира (support something physically with, or as if with, a buttress) · sh poduprijeti (support something physically with, or as if with, a buttress) · fr arc-bouter (support something physically with, or as if with, a buttress) · no understøtte (support something or someone by supplying evidence) · nl ondersteunen (support something physically with, or as if with, a buttress)