A support beam or buttress built against a wall to strengthen and reinforce it, commonly used in medieval architecture.
From French contre- (against) + fort (strong/fortress), derived from Latin fortis meaning strong. It literally means a strong support placed against something to make it stronger.
Cathedral builders used contreforts as structural problem-solvers—they're visible on many Gothic churches as those jutting stones that let architects build impossibly tall walls without them toppling over.
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