bascule
(ˈbæskjuːl)
[a. F. bascule, formerly bacule a see-saw, f. battre to beat, bump, or bas low, down + cul the posteriors.]
An apparatus acting on the principle of the lever or pulley, whereby one end is raised when the other is depressed; esp. in bascule-bridge, a kind of drawbridge, balanced by a counterpoise which rises or falls, usually into a prepared pit, as the bridge is lowered or raised.
| 1678 Phil. Trans. XII. 1007 At the Extremity of this Bascule is ty'd a Cord which passes through the Pully. 1883 Pall Mall G. 11 Sept. 11/2 A weighing machine on the bascule principle. 1884 Daily News 29 Oct. 5/3 A ‘bascule’ or lifting bridge..would be more speedily opened than a swing bridge..Steamboats and small craft generally would not require the opening of the bascule. |