Word of the Day 16 September 2026

stirrup

A bent rebar wrapped around the main rebars to reinforce against shear stress.

Why this one

Named for the shape, like most reinforcement detail. It resists the diagonal cracking that longitudinal bars alone cannot.

In use

Tighten the stirrup spacing near the supports, the drawing calls for 100 centres over the first metre.

Written by our editors to show how the term is used, not a recorded quotation.

Sources