flying buttress
1
8.6
- noun
- /ˈflaɪɪŋ ˈbʌtrəs/
- Specialized
:
contrafuerte volador
- The cathedral's structure is supported by impressive flying buttresses that enhance its height and grandeur.
Examples
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One palatial new home had domes, flat roof segments, and flying buttresses; the latest in architecture.
Academic text (2001) -
I remember when I saw the piece for the first time, it reminded me of the first moments... of being in a cathedral with flying buttresses and light-stained glass.
Academic text (1998) -
Additionally, it was one of the very first buildings in the world to use the flying buttress system.
Blog text (34) -
Look at each rib section, almost like flying buttresses along the roof lines of a great cathedral.
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I only had enough time for 12 flying buttresses, but in actuality, there are 26.
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The individual flying buttresses became more elegant over the centuries, far less 'clunky.'
Blog text (8) -
Pointed arches, flying buttresses, and large windows made the structure more skeletal and ornate.
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Flying buttresses jutted out from its wall like the elegant, muscular legs of a hunting beast waiting to spring.
Fiction book (1992) -
Much later, the flying buttresses were brought down to the thickness of voussoir with a capping stone above it (see Amiens, Le Mans, and Beauvais).
Blog text (8) -
Architects marvel at the elegant design of flying buttresses found in many Gothic cathedrals across Europe.
Synonyms
A support outside a building that holds up tall walls, like in old churches
How Big
- Specialized
5
8.3
- Specialized
1
8.6
- Specialized
1
7.3
- Specialized
- Specialized
1
9.9
Surface Forms
Morphology
Knowing 'flying' (moving through the air) and 'buttress' (a projecting masonry support), a B1 learner can reasonably infer this refers to a support that appears to 'stand away' or 'bridge' from the wall, so there are clear compositional cues. However, the technical architectural sense — an external support connected by an arch rather than directly attached — is a metaphorical/technical extension and not fully predictable without prior exposure.
Etymology
Flying buttress comes from the clear picture of an outside support that seems to 'fly' away from a wall. The word buttress means a support and the arched part looks like it is flying between the wall and a separate pier, so the name describes an outside 'support' that helps hold up tall church walls.