Abutment

[From abut.] ( Arch.) The solid part of a pier from which the arch immediately springs. Abutments are either artificial or natural. The former are usually formed of masonry or brickwork, and the latter are the rock or other solid materials on the banks of a river, in the case of a bridge, which receive the foot of the arch. It is obvious that they must be of sufficient solidity and strength to resist the arch's thrust. Abuttal, or Abbuttals, n . pl . [Fr. abutter , to bound or limit.] ( Law . ) The but tings and bound ings of lands, east, west, north, and south, with respect to the places by which they are limited and bounded. The sides of the land are properly said to be adjoining , and the ends abut ting , to the thing contiguous.