From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Trestle \Tres"tle\, n. [OF. trestel, tresteay, F. tr['e]teau;
probably from L. transtillum a little crossbeam, dim. of
transtrum a crossbeam. Cf. {Transom}.] [Written also
{tressel}.]
1. A movable frame or support for anything, as scaffolding,
consisting of three or four legs secured to a top piece,
and forming a sort of stool or horse, used by carpenters,
masons, and other workmen; also, a kind of framework of
strong posts or piles, and crossbeams, for supporting a
bridge, the track of a railway, or the like.
[1913 Webster]
2. The frame of a table.
[1913 Webster]
{Trestle board}, a board used by architects, draughtsmen, and
the like, for drawing designs upon; -- so called because
commonly supported by trestles.
{Trestle bridge}. See under {Bridge}, n.
[1913 Webster]
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
trestle
n 1: a supporting tower used to support a bridge
2: sawhorses used in pairs to support a horizontal tabletop
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