But"ment (?), n. [Abbreviation of Abutment.]
1. Arch.
A buttress of an arch; the supporter, or that part which joins it to the upright pier.
2. Masonry
The mass of stone or solid work at the end of a bridge, by which the extreme arches are sustained, or by which the end of a bridge without arches is supported.
Butment cheek Carp., the part of a mortised timber surrounding the mortise, and against which the shoulders of the tenon bear.
Knight.
© Webster 1913.