counterfort

[ koun-ter-fawrt, -fohrt ]

noun

1. a buttress, especially one for strengthening a basement wall against the pressure of earth.
2. a cantilevered weight, as in a retaining wall, having the form of a pier built on the side of the material to be retained.

counterfort

/ ˈkaʊntəˌfɔːt /

noun

1. civil engineering a strengthening buttress at right angles to a retaining wall, bonded to it to prevent overturning or to increase its bending strength

Word History and Origins

Origin of counterfort¹

1580–90; partial translation of Middle French contrefort, equivalent to contre counter- + fort strength (derivative of fort (adj.) strong)

Word History and Origins

Origin of counterfort¹

from a partial translation of French contrefort, from contre counter + fort strength; see fort

Example Sentences

The manifest and only function of the rib or counterfort is to tie together the curtain wall and the horizontal slab.

From Project Gutenberg

These rods are the vertical and horizontal rods in the counterfort of the retaining wall shown at a, in Fig. 2.

From Project Gutenberg

In a counterfort, the inclined rods are sufficient to take the overturning stress.

From Project Gutenberg

He seems to mean the force tending to pull the counterfort loose from the horizontal slab.

From Project Gutenberg

Mr. Mensch states that "it would take up too much time to prove that the counterfort acts really as a beam."

From Project Gutenberg