| Abutment | n. 1. State of abutting. [ 1913 Webster ] 2. That on or against which a body abuts or presses; as (a) (Arch.) The solid part of a pier or wall, etc., which receives the thrust or lateral pressure of an arch, vault, or strut. Gwilt. (b) (Mech.) A fixed point or surface from which resistance or reaction is obtained, as the cylinder head of a steam engine, the fulcrum of a lever, etc. (c) In breech-loading firearms, the block behind the barrel which receives the pressure due to recoil. [ 1913 Webster ] |
| Butment | n. [ Abbreviation of Abutment. ] 1. (Arch.) A buttress of an arch; the supporter, or that part which joins it to the upright pier. [ 1913 Webster ] 2. (Masonry) The mass of stone or solid work at the end of a bridge, by which the extreme arches are sustained, or by which the end of a bridge without arches is supported. [ 1913 Webster ]
Butment cheek (Carp.), the part of a mortised timber surrounding the mortise, and against which the shoulders of the tenon bear. Knight. [ 1913 Webster ]
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