gantry

[ gan-tree ]

noun

, plural gan·tries.

1. a framework spanning a railroad track or tracks for displaying signals.
2. any of various spanning frameworks, as a bridgelike portion of certain cranes.
3. Rocketry. a frame consisting of scaffolds on various levels used to erect vertically launched rockets and spacecraft.
4. a framelike stand for supporting a barrel or cask.

gantry

/ ˈɡæntrɪ /

noun

1. a bridgelike framework used to support a travelling crane, signals over a railway track, etc
2. Also calledgantry scaffold the framework tower used to attend to a large rocket on its launching pad
3. a supporting framework for a barrel or cask
4. 1. the area behind a bar where bottles, esp spirit bottles mounted in optics, are kept for use or display
   2. the range or quality of the spirits on view

      this pub's got a good gantry

Word History and Origins

Origin of gantry¹

1325–75; Middle English gauntre < dialectal Old French gantier wooden stand, frame, variant of chantier < Medieval Latin cantārius < Latin canthērius < Greek kanthḗlios packass

Word History and Origins

Origin of gantry¹

C16 (in the sense: wooden platform for barrels): from Old French chantier, from Medieval Latin cantārius, changed from Latin canthērius supporting frame, pack ass; related to Greek kanthēlios pack ass

Example Sentences

Check out this 2003 clip in which this soft-spoken Jewish pischer was transformed into Elmer Gantry.

From The Daily Beast

At first Lear thought of making a feature film satirizing Swaggart and his ilk—sort of an updated Elmer Gantry.

From The Daily Beast

Palin is a beauty-queen Elmer Gantry, outdoing Stephen Colbert in cheesy, braying nationalism.

From The Daily Beast

Creeping along behind the string of coal cars I came presently to the great gantry crane used for unloading the fuel.

From Project Gutenberg

Rick looked through the glass ports and saw the gantry crane being wheeled away.

From Project Gutenberg

A yell would stop Dr. Bernais, and the gantry would be wheeled back into place.

From Project Gutenberg

Before entering, our attention is arrested by a huge gantry crane, borne by two columns which travel on rails.

From Project Gutenberg

Gantry's own boyhood was not so deeply buried in the past as to make him forgetful of its joys and sorrows.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• booth
• platform
• support
• table