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

Examples of gantry in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Additional photos showed Cassidy being dismembered while her body was bound to a gantry crane that is typically used for wild game. —Liam Quinn, Peoplemag, 15 June 2024

But the process of assembling and fueling North Korea’s space launchers is lengthy and requires the use of a massive gantry. —Jeffrey Lewis, Foreign Affairs, 9 June 2017

For the uninitiated, strolling through the gantries of a bustling airport terminal or the avenues leading to convention centers, the sight is familiar — large-scale ads unfurled by tech behemoths vying for the gaze of potential customers. —Johan Moreno, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2023

The tests included removal of the mobile gantry, filling and draining of the rocket’s upper and core stage tanks with liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen, and an ignition of the core stage’s Vulcain 2.1 engine. —Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 22 Dec. 2023

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 platform made to carry a traveling crane and supported by towers running on parallel tracks

2

: a movable structure used for erecting and servicing rockets before launching

3

: a structure spanning several railroad tracks and displaying signals