flying buttress
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Flying buttress — Flying Fly ing, a. [From {Fly}, v. i.] Moving in the air with, or as with, wings; moving lightly or rapidly; intended for rapid movement. [1913 Webster] {Flying army} (Mil.) a body of cavalry and infantry, kept in motion, to cover its own… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Flying buttress — Buttress But tress, n. [OE. butrasse, boterace, fr. F. bouter to push; cf. OF. bouteret (nom. sing. and acc. pl. bouterez) buttress. See {Butt} an end, and cf. {Butteris}.] 1. (Arch.) A projecting mass of masonry, used for resisting the thrust of … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
flying buttress — n. a buttress connected with a wall at some distance from it by an arch or part of an arch: it serves to resist outward pressure … English World dictionary
flying buttress — n a curved line of stones or bricks that are joined to the outside wall of a large building such as a church, and help to support it … Dictionary of contemporary English
flying buttress — noun count a curved structure that supports the wall of a building … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
Flying buttress — A flying buttress, or arc boutant, is a specific type of buttress usually found on a religious building such as a cathedral. They are used to transmit the horizontal thrust of a vault across an intervening space (which might be an aisle, chapel… … Wikipedia
flying buttress — arc boutant arc bou tant ([aum]r b[ooma] t[aum]N), n. [F.] (Arch.) A buttress that stands apart from the main structure and connected to it by an arch; same as {flying buttress}. Gwilt. Syn: flying buttress [1913 Webster + WordNet 1.5] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
flying buttress — Archit. a segmental arch transmitting an outward and downward thrust to a solid buttress that through its inertia transforms the thrust into a vertical one. See illus. under buttress. [1660 70] * * * Masonry structure typically consisting of an… … Universalium
flying buttress — UK / US noun [countable] Word forms flying buttress : singular flying buttress plural flying buttresses a curved structure that supports the wall of a building … English dictionary
flying buttress — noun a buttress that stands apart from the main structure and connected to it by an arch • Syn: ↑arc boutant • Hypernyms: ↑buttress, ↑buttressing … Useful english dictionary
flying buttress — noun Date: 1669 a masonry structure that typically consists of a straight inclined bar carried on an arch and a solid pier or buttress against which it abuts and that receives the thrust of a roof or vault … New Collegiate Dictionary
