Also 4 vousore, 5 vow-, vau-, wawcer. [a. OF. vausoir (wau-), vaussoir, vossoir, etc., mod.F. voussoir:—pop.L. *volsōrium, f. *volsum, pa. pple. of L. volvĕre to turn: cf. VOUSING. Found in ME., but in mod. use app. reintroduced in the 18th cent.] One of the stones that form part of an arch or a vault, usually having the sides slightly inclined towards each other.

1

  α.  1359–60.  Ely Sacr. Rolls (1907), II. 193. In vjxx ped. de vousores empt. prec. pedis iiij d. 2 l.

2

1411.  Acc. Norwich Cloister, in Parker, Gloss. Archit. (1850), I. 513. Item, de vowcers xliij ped. pr’ ped. vj. d.

3

1416–7.  in Willis & Clark, Cambridge (1886), II. 442, note. vj pedum de jambes et j Wawcer xiijd. Ibid. Pro vijxx. pedibus vocat’ sewlys et vaucers xvijs.

4

  β.  1728.  Chambers, Cycl., s.v. Vault, The several Voussoirs, or Vault-Stones whereof it [an arch] consists.

5

1739.  Labelye, Piers Westm. Bridge, 77. The Coins, or Voussoirs, or Arch-Stones.

6

1808.  Norfolk Tour, Norwich, 119. The voussoirs of the arch have their joints worked perfectly smooth.

7

1823.  P. Nicholson, Pract. Build., 312. The masonry of domes differs from that of arching, in the figure of each voussoir.

8

1853.  Ruskin, Stones Ven. (1874), II. iii. 46. The keystone … is of white marble, the lateral voussoirs of purple.

9

1886.  E. C. Robins, Temple of Solomon (1887), 8. Upon the lowest of these pavements the fallen voussoirs of the arch have been discovered lying.

10

  attrib. and Comb.  1875.  Knight, Dict. Mech., 370/2. A brick made voussoir-shaped is known as a compass-brick.

11

1886.  G. Schumacher, Across the Jordan, List Illustr. p. xi. Voussoir-stones of Arch.

12

1905.  Athenæum, 25 Nov., 727/3. The true voussoir arch was extensively used at Pagān.

13

  Hence Voussoired a., constructed with voussoirs.

14

1875.  Encycl. Brit., II. 388/1. A tomb built up in the centre of the excavation,… covered by three stones as struts, over which was a perfectly formed voussoired arch.

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