cantilever
or can·ta·le·ver
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.
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.
Aeronautics. a form of wing construction in which no external bracing is used.
Architecture. a bracket for supporting a balcony, cornice, etc.
to project in the manner of a cantilever.
to construct in the manner of a cantilever.
Origin of cantilever
1- Also can·ta·li·ver [kan-tl-ee-ver] /ˈkæn tlˌi vər/ .
Words Nearby cantilever
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use cantilever in a sentence
The Red Rock cantilever bridge over the Colorado river, with a centre span of 660 ft.
The cantilever rests on two river piers 120 ft. apart, centre to centre.
The great cantilever bridges have been erected in the same way, and they are specially adapted for erection by building out.
The cantilever and suspended girder types are as economical and free from uncertainty as to the stresses.
In long-span bridges the cantilever system permits erection by building out, which is economical and sometimes necessary.
British Dictionary definitions for cantilever
/ (ˈkæntɪˌliːvə) /
a beam, girder, or structural framework that is fixed at one end and is free at the other
(as modifier): a cantilever wing
a wing or tailplane of an aircraft that has no external bracing or support
a part of a beam or a structure projecting outwards beyond its support
(tr) to construct (a building member, beam, etc) so that it is fixed at one end only
(intr) to project like a cantilever
Origin of cantilever
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for cantilever
[ kăn′tl-ē′vər, -ĕv′ər ]
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 © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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