buttress

[ buh-tris ]

noun

1. any external prop or support built to steady a structure by opposing its outward thrusts, especially a projecting support built into or against the outside of a masonry wall.
2. any prop or support.
3. a thing shaped like a buttress, as a tree trunk with a widening base.
4. a bony or horny protuberance, especially on a horse's hoof.

verb (used with object)

1. to support by a buttress; prop up.
2. to give encouragement or support to (a person, plan, etc.).

   Synonyms: reinforce, brace, inspirit, support, hearten, encourage

buttress

/ ˈbʌtrɪs /

noun

1. Also calledpier a construction, usually of brick or stone, built to support a wall See also flying buttress
2. any support or prop
3. something shaped like a buttress, such as a projection from a mountainside
4. either of the two pointed rear parts of a horse's hoof

verb

1. to support (a wall) with a buttress
2. to support or sustain

Other Words From

• buttress·less adjective
• buttress·like adjective
• non·buttressed adjective
• un·buttressed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of buttress¹

1350–1400; Middle English butres ≪ Old French ( arc ) boterez thrusting (arch) nominative singular of boteret (accusative), equivalent to boter- abutment (perhaps < Germanic; butt ³ ) + -et -et

Word History and Origins

Origin of buttress¹

C13: from Old French bouterez , short for ars bouterez thrusting arch, from bouter to thrust, butt ³

Example Sentences

Along the way, the 52-year-old skipper served as a source of optimism in the clubhouse, buttressing belief for a team trying to overcome a rash of starting pitching injuries.

From Los Angeles Times

Kamala Harris immediately leveraged a high-dominance leadership strategy, buttressed by positive messaging, to launch a sustained offensive that was immediately reflected in public opinion polls.

From Salon

The study’s results, which are buttressed by those of an earlier observational study in Norway, are not widely known.

From Los Angeles Times

But the moderators’ velvet-gloved handling of fact-checking, couched as clarification, was not enough to buttress the event’s anemic utility.

From Salon

Among other assets, she inherited Biden’s well-honed reelection team, buttressed by several Obama campaign veterans, which spared her the drama and trauma that racked Harris’ last faction-ridden bid for the White House.

From Los Angeles Times