viaduct
6
7.2
- noun
- /ˈvaɪəˌdʌkt/
:
viaducto
- To avoid the flood, the engineers constructed a new viaduct to carry traffic safely over the river.
- viaduct bridge
- railroad viaduct
- concrete viaducts
Examples
-
In the distance, we see the Grosvenor Viaduct and the Barkley Dam.
Fiction book (1993) -
You can use it to build towers, arches, and viaducts—the same things you could do with real blocks.
Academic text (1997) -
It's likely to be a much smaller viaduct than you think.
Blog text (1) -
If you build a viaduct, make the contractor your partner.
Fiction book (2002) -
The tanks are rumbling towards the viaduct.
Fiction book (1996) -
There's traffic consistently going by and a pedestrian viaduct to cross the street right there in the frame.
Blog text (32) -
Walked across the viaduct.
-
The world's highest vehicular bridge, the Millau Viaduct, traverses land, not water, though when the fog rolls
Blog text (17) -
The railway train crossed the viaduct, offering passengers a stunning view of the valley below.
-
During our road trip, we drove over a magnificent viaduct that connected the mountains with the plains.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
A structure built across water, like a river, to carry people or vehicles
1
7.0
A bridge made of short sections that rest on many supports
How Big
205
1.8
6
7.2
- Specialized
∞
1.0
7
3.2
- Specialized
9
6.8
Surface Forms
Morphology
viaduct = duct (semi-transparent) = via + duct
Both combining forms are recognizable ('via' = by way of; 'duct' = channel), but learners may not predict the specific structural sense 'bridge for a road' and 'duct' can suggest a tube rather than a bridge. [Postprocessing: moved 'via' from base_words to prefix]
Etymology
Viaduct comes from the Latin parts via 'road' and duct 'to lead', the same 'duct' you see in 'air duct' or 'aqueduct'. So a viaduct is a bridge that 'leads' a road or railway across low ground, which is why it means a long bridge with many spans.