corbel

 
Pronunciation: /ˈkɔːb(ə)l/

noun

  • a projection jutting out from a wall to support a structure above it.

verb (corbels, corbelling, corbelled; US corbels, corbeling, corbeled)

[with object]
  • support (a structure) on corbels: (as adjective corbelled) a very high corbelled vault

Origin:

late Middle English: from Old French, diminutive of corp 'crow', from Latin corvus 'raven' (perhaps because of the shape of a corbel, resembling a crow's beak)