A projecting block of stone, wood, or other material built into a wall to support a weight above it, like a shelf or architectural bracket.
From Old French 'corbel,' derived from Latin 'corbis' (basket) or 'corvus' (raven), because the curved shape resembled a raven's beak or a basket; entered English as a key architectural term.
A corbel is engineering poetry—medieval builders realized that if you stick a block out from a wall at the right angle, it can hold incredible weight without any visible support below, making it look like gravity-defying magic.
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