trestle

[ tres-uhl ]

noun

1. a frame typically composed of a horizontal bar or beam rigidly joined or fitted at each end to the top of a transverse A-frame, used as a barrier, a transverse support for planking, etc.; horse.
2. Civil Engineering.
   1. one of a number of bents, having sloping sides of framework or piling, for supporting the deck or stringers of a bridge.
   2. a bridge made of these.

trestle

/ ˈtrɛsəl /

noun

1. a framework in the form of a horizontal member supported at each end by a pair of splayed legs, used to carry scaffold boards, a table top, etc
2. 1. a braced structural tower-like framework of timber, metal, or reinforced concrete that is used to support a bridge or ropeway
   2. a bridge constructed of such frameworks

Word History and Origins

Origin of trestle¹

1300–50; Middle English trestel < Middle French, by dissimilation from Old French trestre ≪ Latin trānstrum crossbeam

Word History and Origins

Origin of trestle¹

C14: from Old French trestel , ultimately from Latin trānstrum transom

Example Sentences

The railroad crosses sensitive marine ecosystems using a swing bridge over the Swinomish Channel and a trestle across Padilla Bay within the reservation.

From Seattle Times

Both women were crew members working on a railway trestle to prepare a scene for “Midnight Rider,” a Gregg Allman biopic, when a train slammed into them.

From Los Angeles Times

"It was waiter service when it first started and everyone came and sat at long trestle tables and they were served their pie and It took time when it was busy," Linda says.

From BBC

The railroad easement crosses sensitive marine ecosystems over a swing bridge at the Swinomish Channel and a trestle across Padilla Bay within the reservation.

From Seattle Times

Stretching from Port Townsend to La Push on the coast, miles of railroad track were converted to trails, including trestles and timber truss bridges beneath conifer canopy.

From Seattle Times