Bascule
/ˈbæs.kjuːl/noun
A pivoting structure or mechanism that rocks or tips like a seesaw, especially in a bridge or gate.
Did you know?Bascule comes through French from a word family meaning a seesaw or rocking motion, and it gave English the name for those dramatic drawbridges that rise like a spell being cast.
Etymological Timeline
Late Latin
LL
basculla
“A seesaw or rocking device, likely from a reduced or altered form in Romance usage”
Old French
OF
bascule
“A seesaw, rocking beam, or tilting balance”
Middle French
MF
bascule
“A pivoting or tilting mechanism”
18th Century
French
bascule
“A counterweighted drawbridge or similar tipping structure”
19th Century
English
bascule
“A pivoted bridge leaf or other rocking mechanism”