buttress
/ˈbʌtɹɪs/noun, verb
buttress is spelled B-U-T-T-R-E-S-S: 8 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 43,187th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, buttress means “A brick, concrete or stone structure built against another structure to support it” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of buttress is buttresses.
How many letters and syllables are in buttress?
| Letters | 8: B-U-T-T-R-E-S-S |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 43,187th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is buttress?
Buttress appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 43,187th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce buttress?
- UK /ˈbʌtɹəs/
- US /ˈbʌtɹɪs/
Buttress has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-buttress.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of buttress
- buttresses plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- buttrice
- buttressing participle, present
- buttressed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does buttress mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A brick, concrete or stone structure built against another structure to support it.
- 2
Anything that serves to support something; a prop.
- 3
A buttress root.
- 4
A feature jutting prominently out from a mountain or rock.
Crowell Buttresses, Dismal Buttress
- 5
Anything that supports or strengthens.
verb
- 1
To support something physically with, or as if with, a prop or buttress.
- 2
To support something or someone by supplying evidence.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Buttress in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | arc-boutant, contrefort , appui, corroboration , arc-bouter , corroborer |
| German | Stützpfeiler, Strebepfeiler, Gewölbepfeiler, Pfeiler, Gegenlager, Strebewerk |
| Portuguese | botaréu, contraforte , apoio, proteção, anteparo |
| Spanish | boterete, contrafuerte, estantal, machón, estribo , sostén |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does buttress come from?
From Old French ars bouterez (noun, literally “supporting arcs”), from bouterez (adjective), oblique plural of bouteret (rare in the singular), from Frankish *bôtan, from Proto-Germanic *bautaną (“to push”). Ultimately cognate with beat.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).