abutment

[ uh-buht-muh nt ]
/ əˈbʌt mənt /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR abutment ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Architecture, Civil Engineering.
  1. a masonry mass supporting and receiving the thrust of part of an arch or vault.
  2. a force that serves to abut an arch or vault.
  3. a mass, as of masonry, receiving the arch, beam, truss, etc., at each end of a bridge.
  4. a mass or structure for resisting the pressure of water on a bridge, pier, or the like.
  5. each of the parts of a canyon or the like receiving the thrusts of an arch dam.
  6. a structure for absorbing tensions from reinforcing strands for concrete being prestressed.
the place where projecting parts meet; junction.
Dentistry. a tooth or tooth root that supports or stabilizes a bridge, denture, or other prosthetic appliance.

Origin of abutment

First recorded in 1635–45; abut + -ment

Words nearby abutment

abusage, abuse, abusive, abut, abutilon, abutment, abuttal, abuttals, abutter, abuzz, abv

Words related to abutment

support

Example sentences from the Web for abutment

British Dictionary definitions for abutment

abutment

abuttal

/ (əˈbʌtmənt) /

noun

the state or process of abutting
  1. something that abuts
  2. the thing on which something abuts
  3. the point of junction between them
architect civil engineering a construction that takes the thrust of an arch or vault or supports the end of a bridge

Medical definitions for abutment

abutment
[ ə-bŭt′mənt ]

n.

A natural tooth or implanted tooth substitute used to support or anchor a dental prosthesis.