MEANING
A solid support at the end of a bridge or arch that receives its weight and sideways thrust.
Use it for
river crossings; visible structural strength; abandoned bridgesGround a bridge description in the supports at either bank.
Words that belong together
- stone abutment
- bridge abutment
- massive abutments
On the page
Floodwater slapped the bridge's eastern abutment.
A nest occupied a crack in the stone abutment below the road.
Only the abutments remained after the timber span burned.
Nearby words
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- abutment
Usage notes
Primary category: architecture. Names the supporting mass, not the curved span itself; useful beyond specialist engineering. Count noun: abutments.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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