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

The whole apparatus—the arm was mounted on a gantry—moved like a printer head, loudly, and faster than seemed plausible. —James Somers, The New Yorker, 25 Nov. 2024

The Super Heavy booster descends to be captured by mechanical arms on the rocket's launch gantry. —William Harwood, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2024

In an unprecedented feat, SpaceX successfully captured the descending Super Heavy using powerful mechanical arms on its launch gantry. —William Harwood, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2024

Most equipment on the port side is primarily diesel-driven, including rubber-tire gantries and container handling equipment, not to mention the vehicles going in and out of the port. —David Blekhman, Forbes, 9 Sep. 2024

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