See Also: buttress(medicine)
buttress(dictionary)
buttress(encyclopedia)
buttress foot(medicine)
buttress plate(medicine)
flying buttress(encyclopedia)
buttress 1, noun(dictionary)
buttress 2, verb(dictionary)
flying buttress(dictionary)

buttress (sh)




Exterior support, usually of masonry, projecting from the face of a wall and serving to strengthen it or resist outward thrust from an arch or roof.

Buttresses also have a decorative function. Though used since ancient times (Mesopotamian temples featured decorative buttresses, as did Roman and Byzantine structures), they are especially associated with Gothic architecture. See also flying buttress.