bascule
/ˈbæskjuːl/ noun
Forms bascules
- noun A counterbalanced structure having one end that rises as the other lowers.
- noun (firearms) The portion of a breech-loading firearm that pivots open in order to allow access to the chamber.
Etymology
From French bascule, from earlier French bacule, from Old French bacul, from Old French battre + cul, from Latin battuō (“beat”) + cul (“bottom”).
Webster’s 1913
- noun In mechanics an apparatus on the principle of the seesaw, in which one end rises as the other falls. Bascule bridge, a counterpoise or balanced drawbridge, which is opened by sinking the counterpoise and thus lifting the footway into the air.
Etymology [F., a seesaw.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “bascule”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details