/kown"teuhr fawrt', -fohrt'/ , n.
1. a buttress, esp. one for strengthening a basement wall against the pressure of earth.
2. a cantilevered weight, as in a retaining wall, having the form of a pier built on the side of the material to be retained.
[ 1580-90; partial trans. of MF contrefort, equiv. to contre COUNTER- + fort strength (deriv. of fort (adj.) strong) ]