Abutment
/əˈbʌtmənt/noun
A supporting structure built against the end of a bridge, arch, or similar construction.
Did you know?Abutment comes from Old French and ultimately from a Germanic source meaning “to strike or thrust against,” so its history is more about forceful contact than mystical support.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*buttan
“to thrust or strike against”
Old French
OF
abuter
“to join end to end; to place against”
Middle English
ME
abuten
“to come up against; to border on”
15th Century
English
abutment
“the state or condition of abutting; a joining or border”
Modern English
English
abutment
“a support built against the end of a structure”