bascule

bas·cule  (bskyl)

n.

A device or structure, such as a drawbridge, counterbalanced so that when one end is lowered the other is raised.

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[French, seesaw : bas, low (from Medieval Latin bassus) + cul, bottom (from Latin clus, rump; see (s)keu- in Indo-European roots).]

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bascule [ˈbæskjuːl]

n

1. (Engineering / Civil Engineering) Also called balance bridge counterpoise bridge a bridge with a movable section hinged about a horizontal axis and counterbalanced by a weight Compare drawbridge

2. (Engineering / Civil Engineering) a movable roadway forming part of such a bridge Tower Bridge has two bascules

[from French: seesaw, from bas low + cul rump; see base², culet]

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

bascule - a structure or device in which one end is counterbalanced by the other (on the principle of the seesaw) structure, construction - a thing constructed; a complex entity constructed of many parts; "the structure consisted of a series of arches"; "she wore her hair in an amazing construction of whirls and ribbons"

Translations

bascule

n → Brückenklappe f; bascule bridge → Klappbrücke f