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What is a cantilever?

Cantilever

 [kan-tl-ee-ver, -ev-er]   Origin

can·ti·le·ver

   [kan-tl-ee-ver, -ev-er]
noun
1.
any rigid structural member projecting from a vertical support, especially one in which the projection is great in relation to the depth, so that the upper part is in tension and the lower part in compression.
2.
Building Trades, Civil Engineering. any rigid construction extending horizontally well beyond its vertical support, used as a structural element of a bridge (cantilever bridge), building foundation, etc.
3.
Aeronautics. a form of wing construction in which no external bracing is used.
4.
Architecture. a bracket for supporting a balcony, cornice, etc.
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verb (used without object)
5.
to project in the manner of a cantilever.

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verb (used with object)
6.
to construct in the manner of a cantilever.
Also, cantalever, cantaliver.

Origin:
1660–70; perhaps cant2 + -i- + lever
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
cantilever (ˈkæntɪˌliːvə)
 
—n
1.  a.  a beam, girder, or structural framework that is fixed at one end and is free at the other
 b.  (as modifier): a cantilever wing
2.  a wing or tailplane of an aircraft that has no external bracing or support
3.  a part of a beam or a structure projecting outwards beyond its support
 
—vb
4.  (tr) to construct (a building member, beam, etc) so that it is fixed at one end only
5.  (intr) to project like a cantilever
 
[C17: perhaps from cant² + lever]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

cantilever
1660s, probably from cant (2) + lever, but earliest form (c.1610) was cantlapper. First element also may be Sp. can "dog," architect's term for an end of timber jutting out of a wall, on which beams rested.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
cantilever   (kān'tl-ē'vər, -ěv'ər)  Pronunciation Key 
A projecting structure, such as a beam, that is supported at one end and that carries a load at the other end or along its length. Cantilevers are important structures in the design of bridges and cranes.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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