gantry

[ gan-tree ]

noun

, plural gan·tries.

1. a framework spanning a railroad track or tracks for displaying signals.
2. any of various spanning frameworks, as a bridgelike portion of certain cranes.
3. Rocketry. a frame consisting of scaffolds on various levels used to erect vertically launched rockets and spacecraft.
4. a framelike stand for supporting a barrel or cask.

gantry

/ ˈɡæntrɪ /

noun

1. a bridgelike framework used to support a travelling crane, signals over a railway track, etc
2. Also calledgantry scaffold the framework tower used to attend to a large rocket on its launching pad
3. a supporting framework for a barrel or cask
4. 1. the area behind a bar where bottles, esp spirit bottles mounted in optics, are kept for use or display
   2. the range or quality of the spirits on view

      this pub's got a good gantry

Word History and Origins

Origin of gantry¹

1325–75; Middle English gauntre < dialectal Old French gantier wooden stand, frame, variant of chantier < Medieval Latin cantārius < Latin canthērius < Greek kanthḗlios packass

Word History and Origins

Origin of gantry¹

C16 (in the sense: wooden platform for barrels): from Old French chantier, from Medieval Latin cantārius, changed from Latin canthērius supporting frame, pack ass; related to Greek kanthēlios pack ass

Example Sentences

For four days, Hallam and more than three dozen other activists climbed a gantry and thereby blocked traffic in London’s critically important M25 motorway.

From Salon

They are known as gantry cranes - meaning they straddle and overlook their workspace - and are of Krupp Ardelt design, modified to meet Harland and Wolff's special requirements.

From BBC

The Just Stop Oil campaigners climbed gantries on the motorway in November 2022, forcing police to stop the traffic, in an attempt to cause gridlock across southern England.

From BBC

Forty-five Just Stop Oil protesters climbed gantries on the motorway in November 2022, forcing police to stop the traffic, in an attempt to cause gridlock across southern England.

From BBC

They are helped by a gantry crane — as an automotive shop might hoist an engine — and the floor of the kiln rolls out to meet the incoming vessel.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• booth
• platform
• support
• table