arcboutant
|arc-bou-tant|
🇺🇸
/ɑːrkbuːˈtɑːnt/
🇬🇧
/ɑːkbuːˈtɑːnt/
arch that props/supports
Etymology
'arcboutant' originates from French, specifically the word 'arcboutant', where 'arc' meant 'arch' and 'bouter' meant 'to push or thrust'.
'arcboutant' derives from Old/Middle French 'arc-bouter' (to thrust with an arch) and entered English as a borrowing of the French architectural term, keeping its specialist meaning.
Initially it meant 'to thrust or prop with an arch', and over time it also came to be used as a noun meaning 'an arch-like external buttress' (flying buttress).
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
an external arch or buttress that transmits lateral thrust from a roof or vault to a pier or buttress (a flying buttress).
The cathedral's eastern arcboutant channels the lateral thrust away from the clerestory walls.
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Verb 1
to support or brace (a wall or structure) with an arcboutant; to buttress with an arch.
In the restoration, the masons arcboutant the nave to reduce stress on the buttresses.
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Adjective 1
having the form or function of an arcboutant; serving as a flying buttress.
They studied the arcboutant elements of Gothic architecture in detail.
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Last updated: 2025/10/03 22:48