skewback en · NOUN
Etymology
From skew + back.
Meanings
-
The side of an arch; the course of masonry on the top of an abutment with a slope for the base of the arch to rest against.
The avalanche shelter itself consists of a series of heavily reinforced arches, supported by substantial piers on the cliff-side, and on skewbacks cut deep into the rock on the other.
1943 March and April, “A British Avalanche Shelter”, in Railway Magazine, page 80:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| skewbacks | Number=Plur | lexicographic |