bridge

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“

The cost of materials per cubic yard for the bridge was as given below, the mixture being as stated above.

—Concrete Construction Methods and Costs

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American Heritage Dictionary (16)

noun A structure spanning and providing passage over a gap or barrier, such as a river or roadway.
noun Something resembling or analogous to this structure in form or function: a land bridge between the continents; a bridge of understanding between two countries.
noun The upper bony ridge of the human nose.

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Century Dictionary (67)

Any structure which spans a body of water, or a valley, road, or the like, and affords passage or conveyance. Bridges are made of various materials, principally stone, iron, and wood, and in a great variety of forms. In an architecture or arched bridge the passage or roadway is carried by an arch or arches, which are supported by abutments or by piers. Such bridges are constructed of brick, stone, iron, steel, or wood. Brick is seldom used alone, except for comparatively small spans, and for unimportant work when stone cannot readily be obtained. In more important works it is often combined with stone, which is introduced to bind, to distribute pressure, to protect the more exposed portions, and for architectural effect. Stone, wherever it can be used, is the most valuable material, on account of its massiveness, stability of form, and resistance to the elements; but it is inferior to iron in economy, facility of construction, and ready adaptability to various situations. Among the finest monuments of antiquity are ranked the remains of Roman arched stone bridges. The largest stone arch known was built over the Allier, at Vieille-Brioude. France, in 1454. Its span was 183.73 feet, with a rise of 60 feet. The bridge over the Dee at Chester has a greater span (200 feet), but less rise (42 feet). The first arched bridge built of iron was erected over the river Severn, in England, and consists of 5 parallel ribs of cast-iron, with a span of 100 and a rise of 40 feet. The Southwark bridge over the Thames at London, the central one of the three arches of which has a span of 240 with a rise of 24 feet, formerly ranked as the largest Iron arched bridge; but this span has since been more than doubled, as notably in the bridge over the Mississippi at St. Louis, and the Washington bridge over the Harlem river in New York city. In an arched-beam bridge arched beams in compression constitute the principal members and sustain the load. The beams are sometimes built of parallel layers of planks, which are made to break joint. In the more important constructions the arches are often compound. They have been employed in modern bridges of considerable magnitude. An arched-truss bridge is a form in which the compression-member is an arched beam, as in the McCallum truss In a beam-truss bridge the load is supported by beam-trusses or openwork beams. A compression-chord and a tension-chord are essential, and the stresses are transferred from one to the other on their way to the points of support by means of struts and tension-bars, which together are called web-members. See phrases below for other forms. At Trompyngton, nat fer fro Cantebrigge, Ther goth a brook and over that a brigge. Chaucer, Reeve's Tale, l, 2.
The upper line or ridge of the nose, formed by the junction of the two nasal bones.
In engraving, a board resting on end-cleats, on which the engraver rests his hand in working. In etching two bridges are used: one with low feet or cleats, to serve for work on the unbitten plate; the other with higher feet, to raise it above the bordering-wax after it has been applied.

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Below this bridge was another bridge, but not so high, and, while Chad looked, another black monster on wheels went crashing over it Tom and the school-master were working the raft slowly to the shore now, and, a little farther down, Chad could see more rafts tied up--rafts, rafts, nothing but rafts on the river, everywhere! — The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come
We had fired so hard that the very planks on the bridge were almost scorching hot, and my feet were nearly blistered. — The Narrative of a Blockade-Runner
On the farther side of the bridge was a beautiful pavilion, draped in silk of gold and crimson colors. — King Arthur and His Knights
Between the mill and the bridge was a large building of brick and stone that looked like a factory. — Crowded Out o' Crofield or, The Boy who made his Way
In the centre of this bridge is the equestrian statue of the Great Elector, superior as a work of art to any other of its date. — In and Around Berlin

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tower · building · road · deck · station · boat · gate · wall · line · car · tunnel · castle

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bridge: bridges · bridging

Etymologies (6)

American Heritage Dictionary (2)

Middle English brigge, from Old English brycg; see bhrū- in Indo-European roots.
From earlier biritch (influenced by bridge¹), from Russian birich, a call, from Old Russian birichĭ.

Century Dictionary (4)

Early modern English also bredge; from Middle English brigge, bregge, brugge (unassibilated brig, brugg, Scots brig), from Anglo-Saxon brycg, bricg = OFries. brigge, bregge = Dutch brug = Middle Low German brugge, Low German brügge = Old High German brucca, Middle High German brucke, brücke, German brücke, a bridge, = Icelandic bryggja = Swedish brygga = Danish brygge, a pier, landing-stage, gangway, rarely a bridge; connected with Icelandic brū = Swedish bro = Danish bro, a bridge, a paved way. Perhaps akin to brow; cf. Old Bulgarian brŭvĭ, a bridge, also brow: see brow.
from Middle English *bryggen (not found), from Anglo-Saxon brycgian (also in comp. ofer-brycgian, bridge over) = Middle Low German bruggen = Old High German bruccōn, Middle High German brucken, brücken, German brücken, bridge; cf. Icelandic brūa, bridge over; from the noun.
Also bredge, from Middle English briggen, breggen, by apheresis for abriggen, abreggen, modern English abridge, q. v.
Short for bridge whist, properly bridge whist, < bridge + whist. The allusion is not determined. It is not the same as in bridge, v. The “Russian britch,” cited as the source of the English word, must be recently borrowed from the English

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