Orthostats

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A row of large stones set in earth to provide support for a structure or to enhance stability in walls
2. Vertical, upright stones placed to strengthen a wall or provide structural integrity in ancient constructions
3. Stones that are positioned upright in the ground to help stabilize and support earthen structures or walls

Etymology: "Orthostats" is the plural of "orthostat," an upright stone slab used as a structural support, most often in the walls of ancient buildings and tombs. The word comes from Ancient Greek "orthostatēs," meaning "upright shaft" or "standing upright." It is built from "orthos," meaning "straight" or "upright," and "-statēs," from the verb "histanai," "to make stand," the same root that gives English "static" and "stasis." The Greek compound describes exactly what these stones do: they stand on end rather than lying flat, so the blocks forming a wall or the lowest course of a building are set vertically to hold up the courses above. The word is a learned coinage from classical roots, used by archaeologists and architectural historians to name a technical feature rather than an everyday object.