abutment

1 point of contact between two objects or parts

2 a masonry support that touches and directly receives thrust or pressure of an arch or bridge

English

Pronunciation

• /ə'bʌtmənt/

Noun

1. especially of an object The state of abutting.
2. Something that abuts.
3. The thing on which something abuts.
4. The point of junction between them.
5. A construction that supports the end of a bridge.

Translations

An abutment is an end support of a bridge superstructure. Abutments are used for the following purposes:

• to transmit the reaction of superstructure to the foundations.
• to retain the earth filling.
• to connect the superstructure to the approach roads.

An abutment is also, generally, the point where two structures or objects meet.

Specifically, an abutment may be:

• the part of a structure that supports an arch.
• the tooth or teeth that support a fixed or removable bridge.
• the part of an implant that acts as an connection between the implant and the crown.

Abutment is also a term used by civil engineers in dam construction; moving water from a large reservoir to a channel such as a spillway, there are smooth transition walls at both sides named abutments which minimize the water's energy loss.

Abutment is also the term for a titanium connection used to attach prosthetics to a dental implant that is Osseointegrated.