The word abutment means any structure that has been developed for providing support to the pressure of any span or arch. This happens at the ends of any bridge. It also means any point where something is abutting anything else.
An abutment is the point/place where two things border each other. It could also be the portion of any structure like a bridge/arch which is directly getting any pressure/force.
There are abutments on bridges which link the surfaces or decks towards the ground, enabling better support for the weight of the bridge both from vertical and horizontal standpoints. For smaller bridges, abutments are positioned at both ends, linked to the embankment. Retaining walls are also present at times. This is the usage of abutment from an infrastructural context. Abutting also means two properties which share a common boundary. These are properties or plots without any intervening land or property between them. In the construction and real estate development category, abutments mean any concrete wall for support that comes up over pile caps, backed up on a spread footing by piles. They are adjacent to embankment approaches and earth-fills. Pile-based support is commoner than support via the footing. Abutting also indicates two structures which join one another.
