trestle

noun

tres·​tle ˈtre-səl 

 also  ˈtrə-

variants or less commonly tressel

1

: a braced frame serving as a support

2

: horse sense 2b

3

: a braced framework of timbers, piles, or steelwork for carrying a road or railroad over a depression

Examples of trestle in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Passengers travel over historic trestle bridges and through a 734-foot-long tunnel, following 20 miles of the Verde River. —Michael Salerno, The Arizona Republic, 2 Oct. 2024

Start atop the mountain, then follow the trail for 34.3 miles through farmlands and across rushing streams spanned by 50-some wooden trestles. —Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 2 Sep. 2024

In the film, a group of teenagers go to the trestle as part of a rite of passage and one of the characters comes face-to-face with the title beast just before a train comes into view. —Leo Bertucci, The Courier-Journal, 28 Sep. 2024

And then Ben notices that there are claw marks down the trestle’s support beams. —Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 4 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English trestel, from Anglo-French, from Vulgar Latin *trastellum, from Latin transtillum, diminutive of transtrum traverse beam, from trans across — more at through entry 1

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing trestle

• trestle table

Kids Definition

trestle

noun

tres·​tle ˈtres-əl 

1

: a braced frame consisting usually of a horizontal piece with spreading legs at each end that supports something (as the top of a table)

2

: a structure of timbers or steel for carrying a road or railroad over a valley