What does appui mean?
Appui is a rare English noun borrowed directly from French, where it denotes a support or prop — something that bears weight or against which force is braced. Its most distinctive use is military: writers on tactics speak of a 'point of appui', a secure position such as a hill, river line, or fortified town on which troops can rest their formation while manoeuvring. Beyond the battlefield, the word has appeared in older architectural and mechanical writing for any brace or stay. Because it entered English as a learned borrowing, appui carries a formal, slightly antiquated flavour; modern readers are far more likely to meet it in translated French texts, Napoleonic-era histories, or dictionaries than in conversation. For those who encounter it, it offers a precise, elegant alternative to plain 'support' when describing something that anchors or steadies.
A support or prop; something that bears weight or serves as a fixed point of rest or resistance.
"The bridge's timber appui had been replaced twice since the eighteenth century."
Chiefly found in historical, military, or technical writing.
(Military) A fortified position or natural feature used as a base or pivot for defensive or offensive operations.
"The division established its point of appui along the canal bank."
Often encountered in the borrowed French phrase 'point d'appui'.
An anglicised plural following standard English noun patterns; the French original does not change form in ordinary usage contexts.
"Each bastion was given its own appuis to steady the guns."
Napoleonic-era military manuals spoke of a 'point d'appui' — the anchor position an army pivots on — and English simply borrowed the whole idea, prop and all.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of appui
Appui comes from the French noun appui, meaning support, derived from the verb appuyer ('to lean upon'), which traces back through Vulgar Latin forms built on Latin podium, a raised base or footing. English adopted the word during the era when British military writing drew heavily on French tactical vocabulary, preserving the phrase 'point of appui' alongside the native 'point of support'. Its cousin in form and origin is the Latin-rooted podium, which shares the underlying notion of a base that bears weight.
How appui is actually used
A rare, largely literary or technical borrowing from French; it appears chiefly in historical military writing and older engineering texts rather than everyday speech.
Easily confused with appui
Appliqué is a decorative technique of applying one material onto another, whereas appui means a physical support or prop.