bascule

American  

[bas-kyool] / ˈbæs kyul /

noun

Civil Engineering.

1. a device operating like a balance or seesaw, especially an arrangement of a movable bridge basculebridge by which the rising floor or section is counterbalanced by a weight.

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bascule British  

/ ˈbæskjuːl /

noun

1. Also called: balance bridge.   counterpoise bridge.  a bridge with a movable section hinged about a horizontal axis and counterbalanced by a weight Compare drawbridge

2. a movable roadway forming part of such a bridge

   Tower Bridge has two bascules

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Etymology

Origin of bascule

First recorded in 1670–80; from French: name for a number of seesawlike mechanical devices, Middle French bacule, noun derivative of baculer “to strike on the buttocks” (probably originally, “to land on one's buttocks”), equivalent to bas “down” + -culer, verbal derivative of cul “rump, buttocks”; -s- by false analysis as bas(se) adjective + cule taken as a feminine noun; base ², culet

Example Sentences

But Tower Bridge's roads were too heavy to be opened in that way, so it is instead a bascule bridge, in which the roads move like a seesaw and pivot.

From BBC

Though teased by the temporary span, voters in 1921 continued to point thumbs down for the bascule.

From Seattle Times

Alternative approaches, including a tunnel, bascule bridge, third or supplemental bridge and even the “common sense alternative” do not meet the program’s criteria, Johnson said.

From Seattle Times

Since 1976, the bridge’s two arms, or bascules, have been operated by engines powered by oil and electricity, replacing the original steam-powered ones that dated back to the 19th century.

From Reuters

The Allen Park driver, 26, was behind the wheel of a Dodge sedan when he accelerated and attempted to cross the Fort Street bascule bridge around 7 p.m. on Wednesday -- as it was rising.

From Fox News