the act of supporting or strengthening something, either physically with a structure or metaphorically with evidence or arguments.
Present participle of 'buttress,' combining the noun form with the -ing suffix to indicate ongoing action. The root remains the Old French 'bouteret,' related to pushing or thrusting.
When you're buttressing an argument, you're doing exactly what medieval builders did—adding visible supports where the structure is weak. The metaphor works because both need external strength to stand.
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