cantilever

Also can·ta·li·ver
Or can·ta·le·ver

[kan-tl-ee-ver, -ev-er]

noun

1. any rigid structural member projecting from a vertical support, especially one in which the projection is great in relation to the depth, so that the upper part is in tension and the lower part in compression.

2. Building Trades, Civil Engineering.,  any rigid construction extending horizontally well beyond its vertical support, used as a structural element of a bridge cantilever bridge, building foundation, etc.

3. Aeronautics.,  a form of wing construction in which no external bracing is used.

4. Architecture.,  a bracket for supporting a balcony, cornice, etc.

verb (used without object)

1. to project in the manner of a cantilever.

verb (used with object)

1. to construct in the manner of a cantilever.

cantilever

/ ˈkæntɪˌliːvə /

noun

1. 1. a beam, girder, or structural framework that is fixed at one end and is free at the other

   2. ( as modifier )

      a cantilever wing

2. a wing or tailplane of an aircraft that has no external bracing or support

3. a part of a beam or a structure projecting outwards beyond its support

verb

1. (tr) to construct (a building member, beam, etc) so that it is fixed at one end only

2. (intr) to project like a cantilever

cantilever

1. A projecting structure, such as a beam, that is supported at one end and that carries a load at the other end or along its length. Cantilevers are important structures in the design of bridges and cranes.

Word History and Origins

Origin of cantilever¹

1660–70; perhaps cant ² + -i- + lever

Word History and Origins

Origin of cantilever¹

C17: perhaps from _cant ² + _lever

Example Sentences

It shows the home at night, with two young women sitting inside in a cantilevered corner, its floor-to-ceiling windows revealing the lights of the L.A.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

“I wanted it to feel cantilevered and light because I didn’t want it to block the views,” she says.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

In this manner, the cantilevered base of the building need not carry any load beyond the first eight stories, a solution that would make the base lighter and cheaper.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

At one point he even threatened to chop off a cantilevered corner of the building if the complications around its construction were not quickly resolved.

Read more on BBC

His striking home was perched above the boulevard, its wood and glass cantilevered over a concrete base.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• girder 
• joist 
• piling 
• pillar 
• plank 
• pole 
• shaft 
• sill 
• timber