| 释义 |
but·tress
I. \ˈbətrə̇s\ noun
(-es)
Etymology: Middle English butres, boterace, from Middle French bouterez, from Old French boterez, from boter, bouter to thrust — more at butt
1. : a projecting structure of masonry or wood for supporting or giving stability to a wall or building (as to resist lateral pressure or strain acting at a particular point in one direction) but sometimes serving chiefly for ornament
2. : any of various things that resemble a buttress in appearance:
a. : counterfort
b. : a projecting part of a mountain or hill
c. : a horny protuberance on a horse's hoof at the heel where the wall bends inward and forward
d. : the broadened basal portion of a tree trunk or a thickened vertical part of it
3. : something that supports, strengthens, or helps to defend
< a buttress of the cause of peace >
4. : an abutment built from a river bank to prevent logs in a drive from injuring the bank or jamming
II. transitive verb
(-ed/-ing/-es)
1. : to furnish or support with a buttress
< buttressing the bridge piers >
: shore up : prop, sustain
< the present river system buttressed now with … good levees — A.W.Baum >
2. : support, sustain, strengthen
< arguments buttressed by solid facts >
< measures to buttress the national economy against the stresses of war >
Synonyms: see support
III. adjective
of a saw blade : having widely separated teeth with one edge perpendicular and the other oblique to the direction of motion |