bascule
noun
bas·cule ˈba-(ˌ)skyül 
: an apparatus or structure (such as a drawbridge) in which one end is counterbalanced by the other on the principle of the seesaw or by weights
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web The Kilbourn Avenue Bridge is a bascule bridge, or drawbridge. 
Sophie Carson, Journal Sentinel, 26 Aug. 2022 It was designed by an engineer named Joseph Strauss, whose company specialized in such raisable bridges, known as bascule bridges. Gary Kamiya, San Francisco Chronicle, 18 Mar. 2022 The city also renovated the controls and interior equipment for the two-level bascule bridge, which must be able to open to allow boat traffic between the Chicago River and the lake. Liam Ford, chicagotribune.com, 10 May 2021 Main Street Bridge is a double-leaf bascule bridge that spans the Indian River, roughly 20 feet below. Ezra Dyer, Car and Driver, 16 Apr. 2021 Police said Gomez was eager to cross the Fort Street bascule bridge near Miller Road at about 7 p.m. Wednesday, stepped on the accelerator and flew through the air, landing on the other side. Frank Witsil, Detroit Free Press, 19 Sep. 2020 The bascule-and-suspension bridge, completed in 1894, failed to close after opening to allow ships on the River Thames to pass underneath. Washington Post, 22 Aug. 2020 The flyover will run partly over the Depression-era Lake Shore Drive bascule bridge over the river, and repairs to the bridge have proved more extensive and expensive than expected. Mary Wisniewski, chicagotribune.com, 30 Sep. 2019 In a news release Thursday (April 26), the Port said the nearly 100-year-old bascule bridge over the Industrial Canal needs a touch-up. Beau Evans, NOLA.com, 26 Apr. 2018 See More
Sophie Carson, Journal Sentinel, 26 Aug. 2022 It was designed by an engineer named Joseph Strauss, whose company specialized in such raisable bridges, known as bascule bridges. Gary Kamiya, San Francisco Chronicle, 18 Mar. 2022 The city also renovated the controls and interior equipment for the two-level bascule bridge, which must be able to open to allow boat traffic between the Chicago River and the lake. Liam Ford, chicagotribune.com, 10 May 2021 Main Street Bridge is a double-leaf bascule bridge that spans the Indian River, roughly 20 feet below. Ezra Dyer, Car and Driver, 16 Apr. 2021 Police said Gomez was eager to cross the Fort Street bascule bridge near Miller Road at about 7 p.m. Wednesday, stepped on the accelerator and flew through the air, landing on the other side. Frank Witsil, Detroit Free Press, 19 Sep. 2020 The bascule-and-suspension bridge, completed in 1894, failed to close after opening to allow ships on the River Thames to pass underneath. Washington Post, 22 Aug. 2020 The flyover will run partly over the Depression-era Lake Shore Drive bascule bridge over the river, and repairs to the bridge have proved more extensive and expensive than expected. Mary Wisniewski, chicagotribune.com, 30 Sep. 2019 In a news release Thursday (April 26), the Port said the nearly 100-year-old bascule bridge over the Industrial Canal needs a touch-up. Beau Evans, NOLA.com, 26 Apr. 2018 See More Word History
Etymology
French, seesaw
First Known Use
1678, in the meaning defined above