gantry
noun
gan·try ˈgan-trē 
plural gantries
1
: a frame for supporting barrels
2
: a frame structure raised on side supports so as to span over or around something: such as
a
: a platform made to carry a traveling crane and supported by towers or side frames running on parallel tracks
also : a movable structure with platforms at different levels used for erecting and servicing rockets before launching
b
: a structure spanning several railroad tracks and displaying signals for each
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web This year's finale involved two rounds, pushing the contestants to be creative and fast in the kitchen while previously eliminated contestants and family members watched the action unfold from the gantry. 
Alicia Vrajlal, refinery29.com, 12 July 2022 Each machine deploys 150 laser beams, projected from a gantry and moving quickly back and forth, making high-tech parts for corporate customers in fields including aerospace, semiconductors, defense and medical implants. New York Times, 3 July 2022 An object, possibly part of the gantry, sits near it. Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 4 Mar. 2022 Adjacent is Nautor’s Swan Global Service shipyard, closed off to the public but including a massive rubber-tired gantry crane that lifts and moves yachts with ease, or lets staff—seriously—feather dust spotless hulls. Tom Mullen, Forbes, 29 May 2022 An object, possibly part of the gantry, sits near it. Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 4 Mar. 2022 An object, possibly part of the gantry, sits near it. Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 4 Mar. 2022 The 315-foot Kommuna in essence is a floating gantry—a bunch of tall steel arches stretching from one of the twin hulls to the other over the open water. David Axe, Forbes, 22 Apr. 2022 After the house foundation was poured, a large gantry, a bridgelike structure that supports the Lavacrete nozzle, was brought to the job site and fixed onto rails. Richard A. Marini, San Antonio Express-News, 16 Mar. 2022 See More
Alicia Vrajlal, refinery29.com, 12 July 2022 Each machine deploys 150 laser beams, projected from a gantry and moving quickly back and forth, making high-tech parts for corporate customers in fields including aerospace, semiconductors, defense and medical implants. New York Times, 3 July 2022 An object, possibly part of the gantry, sits near it. Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 4 Mar. 2022 Adjacent is Nautor’s Swan Global Service shipyard, closed off to the public but including a massive rubber-tired gantry crane that lifts and moves yachts with ease, or lets staff—seriously—feather dust spotless hulls. Tom Mullen, Forbes, 29 May 2022 An object, possibly part of the gantry, sits near it. Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 4 Mar. 2022 An object, possibly part of the gantry, sits near it. Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 4 Mar. 2022 The 315-foot Kommuna in essence is a floating gantry—a bunch of tall steel arches stretching from one of the twin hulls to the other over the open water. David Axe, Forbes, 22 Apr. 2022 After the house foundation was poured, a large gantry, a bridgelike structure that supports the Lavacrete nozzle, was brought to the job site and fixed onto rails. Richard A. Marini, San Antonio Express-News, 16 Mar. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Middle English gauntree, reshaping (perhaps conformed to tre tree entry 1) of ganter, borrowed from Anglo-French *ganter (Old French —Picard— gantier, Old French chantier), going back to Latin cantērius, canthērius "horse of poor quality, rafter, prop for vines," akin to Greek kanthḗlia "panniers," (ónos) kanthḗlios "pack ass," both loanwords from an undetermined Mediterranean language
First Known Use
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Kids Definition
gantry
noun
gan·try ˈgan-trē
plural gantries
1
: a structure over railroad tracks for holding signals
2
: a movable structure for preparing a rocket for launching