noun state of abutting.
2. abutment ·noun that on or against which a body abuts or presses.
3. abutment ·noun in breech-loading firearms, the block behind the barrel which receives the pressure due to recoil.
4. abutment ·noun the solid part of a pier or wall, ·etc., which receives the thrust or lateral pressure of an arch, vault, or strut.
5. abutment ·noun a fixed point or surface from which resistance or reaction is obtained, as the cylinder head of a steam engine, the fulcrum of a lever, ·etc.