Corbel

02319 Cor"bel (?), n. [F. corbeau, for older corbel, dim. of L. corbis basket. (Corbels were often in the form of a basket.) See Corbeil.] (Arch.) A bracket supporting a superincumbent object, or receiving the spring of an arch. Corbels were employed largely in Gothic architecture. note &hand; A common form of corbel consists of courses of stones or bricks, each projecting slightly beyond the next below it. /note