cantalever

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

noun, verb (used with or without object)

cantilever.

Also can·ta·li·ver

[kan-tl-ee-ver] /ˈkæn tlˌi vər/.

cantilever

or can·ta·le·ver

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

noun

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.

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.

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

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

verb (used without object)

to project in the manner of a cantilever.

verb (used with object)

to construct in the manner of a cantilever.

Also can·ta·li·ver [kan-tl-ee-ver] /ˈkæn tlˌi vər/.

Origin of cantilever

1660–70; perhaps cant² + -i- + lever

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for cantalever

cantilever

noun

a beam, girder, or structural framework that is fixed at one end and is free at the other
(as modifier)a cantilever wing

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

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

verb

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

(intr) to project like a cantilever

Word Origin for cantilever

C17: perhaps from cant ² + lever

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for cantalever

cantilever

1660s, probably from cant (n.2) + lever, but earliest form (c.1610) was cantlapper. First element also might be Spanish can "dog," architect's term for an end of timber jutting out of a wall, on which beams rested. Related: Cantilevered.

cantalever in Science

cantilever

[kăn′tl-ē′vər, -ĕv′ər]

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.