flying buttress

noun

Architecture.

1. a segmental arch transmitting an outward and downward thrust to a solid buttress that through its inertia transforms the thrust into a vertical one.

flying buttress

noun

1. Also called: arc-boutant. a buttress supporting a wall or other structure by an arch or part of an arch that transmits the thrust outwards and downwards

flying buttress

1. An external, arched support for the wall of a church or other building. Flying buttresses were used in many Gothic cathedrals (see also cathedral); they enabled builders to put up very tall but comparatively thin stone walls, so that much of the wall space could be filled with stained-glass windows. The cathedrals of Chartres and Notre Dame de Paris were built with flying buttresses.

Word History and Origins

Origin of flying buttress¹

First recorded in 1660–70