Abutments

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Supports that connect and stabilize the ends of bridges or arches while transferring loads to the ground
2. Elements that bear lateral stress and help secure the structure of arches or bridges, anchoring them effectively
3. The structural elements at the ends of bridges or arches that carry weight and channel forces into the ground

Etymology: "Abutments" is the plural of "abutment," a word that began in the 1640s as a general term for a point of contact or a bordering edge, and only in 1793 took on its engineering sense of a structure bearing the thrust of an arch or bridge. The older meaning survives in the idea of two properties or fields that abut, touching along a shared boundary. The word comes from Old French "aboutement," which is built from "abouter," to join end to end or to touch at the end. English formed it by adding the suffix "-ment" to the verb "abut," so the core idea is simply things meeting at their ends. The building sense reflects that same contact: an abutment is the end-point where an arch or span meets the solid ground or pier that receives its push.

Synonyms: support, foundation