abutment
abutment — noun
- abutmentsingular
- abutmentsplural
1. a supporting structure built at a bridge's outermost sides, or beneath an arch,
a supporting structure built at a bridge's outermost sides, or beneath an arch, designed to take the weight and hold everything in place.
The bridge's abutment was built from reinforced concrete to withstand the river's current.
collocation: bridge abutment
Engineers inspected the stone abutments at both ends of the old railway bridge.
passive: be inspected / plural form: abutments
The stone abutment of the old Roman bridge supports the whole arch and its weight.
Theo noticed cracks in the abutment where it joined the stone arch.
Workers poured concrete into the mould to form the new abutment for the highway bridge.
- pier
a column-like structure that supports a bridge, but a pier stands in the middle of a span, while an abutment sits at the end.
- support
a general term; abutment is a specific type of support for arches and bridges.
- buttress
a projecting structure built against a wall, not used for bridges or arches at their ends.
- span
the open part of a bridge that the abutment supports; the span is the gap, the abutment is the anchor.
用法筆記
This is the most common meaning of abutment. The structure is typically paired with a bridge or arch — you do not normally use abutment alone to refer to a general support.
常見錯誤
2. the act or method of using a supporting structure to hold something in place, es
the act or method of using a supporting structure to hold something in place, especially in building or construction work.
Workers finished the abutment of the new bridge's steel girders to concrete supports.
active voice: crew + finished + abutment of [X] to [Y]
The site supervisor walked the apprentices through the abutment process for the new railway bridge.
[subject] + walked + [people] + through + process: different frame from 'explained to'
The abutment of the new arch to the stone pillars required precise measurements from the masons.
Lien checked the abutment plan for the retaining wall beside the community centre.
- supporting
a more general word; abutment specifically refers to supporting using a purpose-built base structure.
- bracing
strengthening or supporting with an added framework; bracing is temporary, abutment is permanent.
用法筆記
This uncountable sense is rare in everyday speech and appears mostly in technical reports or construction documents. Distinguish from sense 1 (the physical structure) and sense 3 (the contact point).
3. the line, edge, or point where two surfaces, objects, or pieces of land meet or
the line, edge, or point where two surfaces, objects, or pieces of land meet or touch each other.
Water seeped through the abutment between the old wall and the new floor.
abutment + between + [two things]
At the abutment of the roof and the chimney, the builder added extra sealant.
abutment + of + [one thing] + and + [another]
The fence showed rot at the abutment where the wood met the stone post.
Elena ran her finger along the abutment between the two pieces of plywood.
- gap
a space or opening between two things, the opposite of a point of contact.
用法筆記
This sense overlaps with junction or seam but is less common in everyday language. Unlike sense 1, it does not imply a load-bearing structure — any meeting of two surfaces qualifies.