Bascule
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A counterbalanced structure having one end that rises as the other lowers.
"In the late eighties and early nineties several new types of movable spans were advocated, including the pull-back draw, the jackknife span, the bob-tail swing, the horizontal-folding draw, the shearpole draw, the gyratory lift, the transbordeur, the double-cantilever swing, several types of bascule, and the vertical lift."
- 2 a structure or device in which one end is counterbalanced by the other (on the principle of the seesaw) wordnet
- 3 The portion of a breech-loading firearm that pivots open in order to allow access to the chamber.
"A device for coupling and releasing the trigger mechanism in a bascule of a gun"
Example
More examples"In the late eighties and early nineties several new types of movable spans were advocated, including the pull-back draw, the jackknife span, the bob-tail swing, the horizontal-folding draw, the shearpole draw, the gyratory lift, the transbordeur, the double-cantilever swing, several types of bascule, and the vertical lift."
Etymology
From French bascule.