buttress

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 25, 2008 is: buttress • \BUTT-russ\  • noun 1 : a projecting structure of masonry or wood for supporting or giving stability to a wall or building 2 : something that resembles a buttress 3 : something that supports or strengthens Examples: This is a good essay, but it needs a few more facts as a buttress to the conclusions. Did you know? A buttress is an exterior support projecting from a wall that is used to resist the sideways force, also called thrust, created by the load on an arch or roof. Its name was first adopted into English as "butres" in the 14th century. It came to us from the Anglo-French "(arche) boteraz," meaning "thrusting (arch)," and ultimately derives from the verb "buter," "to thrust." "Buter" is also the source of our verb "butt," meaning "to thrust, push, or strike with the head or horns." Relatively soon, "buttress" came to be used figuratively for anything that supports or strengthens something else. In addition, it was also in the 14th century that "buttress" was first used as a verb meaning "to support or strengthen," literally and figuratively. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.