Crossties

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Horizontal elements utilized in railway infrastructure stabilize tracks and maintain their alignment, while also serving as supporting structures in various construction projects to enhance stability
2. These transverse supports found in rail systems ensure proper track positioning and alignment, and are similarly employed in construction to uphold various structural components
3. Wooden or concrete supports placed perpendicular to tracks keep them stable and properly aligned, also functioning in construction for reinforcing elements and providing stability

Etymology: "Crossties" is simply the plural of "crosstie," so its history is that of the compound behind it: a "cross" plus a "tie." "Cross" is the old word for something set across another thing, and "tie" is a binding or fastening, so a crosstie is a piece of timber or similar material that binds or fastens something across a path. The railway sense, a sleeper laid across the track to hold the rails in gauge, is the one people now mean when they use the term. The plural form follows the regular English pattern of adding "-s," with "tie" becoming "ties" because the final "y" changes to "ie" before the ending. Using the plural "crossties" in a sentence therefore refers to several of these supporting timbers at once, such as the rows of them that carry a line of track.

Synonyms: rail ties, sleepers