buttress
Other forms: buttresses; buttressed; buttressing
You can buttress an argument with solid facts or your financial portfolio with safe investments. You may find that giving compliments to everyone you meet buttresses your popularity. To buttress is to sustain or reinforce.
A buttress is a structure that adds stability to a wall or building, and this innovation played a significant role in the evolution of architecture. Think of a medieval cathedral. It's an incredibly tall, open building filled with light from vast windows. Without buttresses supporting the walls and carrying the weight of the ceiling away from the building and down to the ground, this cathedral would be impossible. Picture this when you use buttress figuratively as a verb meaning to strengthen and support.
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a support usually of stone or brick; supports the wall of a buildingsynonyms: buttressingtypes:arc-boutant, flying buttressa buttress that stands apart from the main structure and connected to it by an archtype of:supportsupporting structure that holds up or provides a foundation
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reinforce with a buttress
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make stronger or defensible
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Vocabulary lists containing buttress
In this tragedy, Macbeth's belief in a prophecy and his ambition to become king lead to murder and madness.
In this classic coming-of-age story, Scout Finch recounts her childhood in Maycomb, Alabama. When Scout's father is appointed to defend a black man in a high-profile trial, racial tensions in the small town come to a head.
The right words are the foundation for understanding a subject. These architectural terms will help you construct a monumental vocabulary!