A long stone or brick that goes all the way through a wall to bind the two sides together, used in construction.
From 'bond' (something that holds together) + 'stone.' The term originated in architecture when masons discovered that stones running completely through walls made structures much stronger and more durable.
Medieval and Roman builders figured out that bondstones were absolutely critical for tall structures—walls without them would literally crumble apart! This is why archaeologists can tell how sophisticated ancient civilizations were by examining their bonding patterns in remaining stone structures.
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