Buttress#Terminology

{{short description|Architectural structure}}

{{About|an architectural structure|the large tree root|Buttress root|the Royal Canadian Air Force station|Buttress, Saskatchewan}}

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A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall.{{citation| title = Buttress| url= https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/86773/buttress| publisher = Encyclopædia Britannica| encyclopedia= www.britannica.com}} Buttresses are fairly common on more ancient (typically Gothic) buildings, as a means of providing support to act against the lateral (sideways) forces arising out of inadequately braced roof structures.

The term counterfort can be synonymous with buttress{{cite EB1911|mode=cs2|wstitle=Counterfort |volume=7 |page=315}} and is often used when referring to dams, retaining walls and other structures holding back earth.

Early examples of buttresses are found on the Eanna Temple (ancient Uruk), dating to as early as the 4th millennium BC.{{Citation needed|date=July 2014}}

==Terminology==

In addition to flying and ordinary buttresses, brick and masonry buttresses that support wall corners can be classified according to their ground plan. A clasping or clamped buttress has an L-shaped ground plan surrounding the corner, an angled buttress has two buttresses meeting at the corner, a setback buttress is similar to an angled buttress but the buttresses are set back from the corner, and a diagonal (or 'French') buttress bisects the angle between the walls where they meet.{{cite web|title=Glossary : Buttress|url=http://www.lookingatbuildings.org.uk/glossary/glossary/B.html?no_cache=1&tx_contagged%5bpointer%5d=8|work=www.lookingatbuildings.org.uk}}{{cite web|url=http://www.prestbury.net/magazine/church_architecture/page05.htm|title=Church architecture: Spires and buttresses|author=Edward Wyatt|work=www.prestbury.net}}

The gallery below shows top-down views of various types of buttress (dark grey) supporting the corner wall of a structure (light grey).

File:Anglebuttress.PNG|Angled buttress

File:Claspingbuttress.PNG|Clasping or clamped buttress

File:Diagonalbuttress.PNG|Diagonal or 'french' buttress

File:Setbackbuttress.PNG|Setback buttress