Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A device or structure, such as a drawbridge, counterbalanced so that when one end is lowered the other is raised.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. An arrangement in bridges by which one portion balances another.
- n. A form of bailing-scoop.
Wiktionary
- n. a counterbalanced structure having one end that rises as the other lowers
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. In mechanics, an apparatus on the principle of the seesaw, in which one end rises as the other falls.
WordNet 3.0
- n. a structure or device in which one end is counterbalanced by the other (on the principle of the seesaw)
Etymologies
- French, seesaw : bas, low (from Medieval Latin bassus) + cul, bottom (from Latin cūlus, rump; see (s)keu- in Indo-European roots).
Examples
“But if you look at it, it's not a so-called bascule bridge.”
“It’s called a bascule, and it lifts like a kind of gigantic one-sided see-saw.”
Conqueror's Moon
“Also note the second bascule bridge, and lots of Transit/HOV lanes (and the resulting added width).”
Despite Decline in Driving, City Plans Assume 1 Percent Annual Traffic Growth « PubliCola
“In Mystic, view to the south from the bascule bridge (1922) over the Mystic River.”
“Having a second bascule bridge can allow for dedicated HOV/Transit lanes across the Montlake Cut.”
Neighborhood Activists Still Oppose State’s 520 Option « PubliCola
“To expect that the existing bascule bridge can handle our needs for the next 90 years is not realistic, especially when the current bridge is already the greatest constraint to transit, pedestrians and bicycles going across the Montlake Cut.”
Neighborhood Activists Still Oppose State’s 520 Option « PubliCola
“The existing bascule bridge has indeed been recognized as a bottleneck for decades, but the “benefits” of a second drawbridge in this location remain unknown, unanalyzed in isolation, and the alternatives are yet to be explored.”
Neighborhood Activists Still Oppose State’s 520 Option « PubliCola
“The 1925 bascule bridge is a wonderful landmark, and its new mate should be given equal care in its design.”
Neighborhood Activists Still Oppose State’s 520 Option « PubliCola
“The second bascule bridge is the only way to provide dedicated HOV/Transit lanes across the Montlake Cut.”
Neighborhood Activists Still Oppose State’s 520 Option « PubliCola
“The capacity of Montlake and the bascule bridge would increase because the outer lanes would be fully utilized by carpools and buses, instead of mostly clogged with SOVs.”
Neighborhood Activists Still Oppose State’s 520 Option « PubliCola
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘bascule’.
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Logolepsy
"Luciferous Logolepsy is a collection of over 9,000 obscure English words. Though the definition of an 'English' word might seem to be straightforward, it is not. There exist so many adopted, deriv...
Anschauung, Areopagus, Argus, Briarean, Dei gratia, Dei judicium, Deo volente, Duecento, Foehn, Geflugelte Worte, Gegenschein, Hakenkreuz and 9230 more...
jmjarmstrong JM is fabricating a miniscule bascule from drawings that won't fall down. Sep 12, 2010
mialuthien bascule – the natural round arc a horse's body takes as it goes over a jump Jul 13, 2008