01 n. A buttress of an arch; the supporter, or that part which joins it to the upright pier.
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1.
A buttress of an arch; the supporter, or that part which joins it to the upright pier.(Arch.)
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2.
The mass of stone or solid work at the end of a bridge, by which the extreme arches are sustained, or by which the end of a bridge without arches is supported.(Masonry)
Phrases & compounds
Butment cheek —
the part of a mortised timber surrounding the mortise, and against which the shoulders of the tenon bear.