[ark-boo-tahn] 
| arc-bou·tant (är'bōō-täɴ') n. pl. arcs-bou·tants (är'bōō-täɴ') See flying buttress. [French : arc, arch (from Old French; see arc) + boutant, present participle of bouter, to thrust (from Old French; see butt1).] |
| flying buttress n. An arched masonry support serving to bear thrust, as from a roof or vault, away from a main structure to an outer pier or buttress. Also called arc-boutant. |