flying buttress

American  

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.

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flying buttress British  

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

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flying buttress Cultural  

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.

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Etymology

Origin of flying buttress

First recorded in 1660–70

Example Sentences

To him, the ribbed vault and flying buttress were the epitome of rational construction.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 18, 2026

For me, the word conjures images of an ancient Eastern Germanic tribe, a flying buttress and myself circa 2003, loitering in front of a rack of studded belts at Hot Topic.

From New York Times • Nov. 23, 2021

I stood on a flying buttress on the greatest cathedral in the world.

From New York Times • Aug. 5, 2010

To make doubly sure of holding the shape, they affixed a curved iron bar to serve as a flying buttress on the right side.

From Time Magazine Archive

This force was transferred through the flying buttress to the buttress itself and then down to the foundation.

From "Cathedral: The Story of Its Construction" by David Macaulay