corbel
/ˈkɔːbəl/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: 1.81 in modern English
10
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A structural member jutting out of a wall to carry a superincumbent weight.
Example Sentences
- "The booking hall is lofty and of peculiar design, the roof being carried on timbered beams set in pairs rising from carved corbels."
- "But the firm noted concrete deterioration deep within the pool’s wall and corbel, a type of support structure, requiring “aggressive excavation of concrete.” […] We removed loose, cracked, spalled, deteriorated and delaminated concrete from the balcony soffits of 114 units as well as pool corbels to prevent it from falling, and removed all deteriorated, debonded and falling stucco from balconies."
Etymology
From Middle English corbel, from Old French corbel, from Late Latin corbellus, corvellus, diminutive of Latin corvus (“raven”), named for the shape's resemblance to a crow's beak. Doublet of corbeau.
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- British English: /ˈkɔːbəl/