verbWord forms: -bels, -belling, -belledWord forms: US-bels, -beling or -beled
2. (transitive)
to lay (a stone or brick) so that it forms a corbel
Word origin
C15: from Old French, literally: a little raven, from Medieval Latin corvellus, from Latin corvus raven
corbel in American English
(ˈkɔrbəl; ˈkɔrˌbɛl)
noun
1.
a piece of stone, wood, or metal, often in the form of a bracket, projecting from the side of a wall and serving to support a cornice, the spring of an arch, etc.
2.
a short timber placed lengthwise under a beam or girder
verb transitiveWord forms: ˈcorbeled or ˈcorbelled, ˈcorbeling or ˈcorbelling
3.
to provide or support with a corbel or corbels
Word origin
OFr, dim. of corb < L corvus, raven1: so called from its beaked shape