Cantilever

Origin

Registered first in the 17th Century: 1660s, probably from cant (2) + lever, but earliest form (c.1610) was cantlapper. First element also may be Sp. can - "dog", an architect's term for an end of timber jutting out of a wall, on which beams rested.

Noun

1. (architecture) A beam anchored at one end and projecting into space, such as a long bracket projecting from a wall to support a balcony.

Derived terms

• cantileverage
• cantilever bridge

Full definition of cantilever

Verb

1. To project in the manner of a cantilever, or to project (something) by means of a cantilever
• 2007, October 28, Nicolai Ouroussoff, Where Gods Yearn for Long-Lost Treasures, Just above, the museums top floor seems to shift slightly, its corners cantilevering over the edge of the story below as if it is sliding off the top of the building.

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