Springer (architecture)

In architecture, a springer (sometimes springing^[1]) is the lowest voussoir (wedge-shaped structural element) on each side of an arch. Since it is the bottom-most element of the arch, it is where the arch support terminates at the respond.^[2] It rests on the impost or pier of the arch, that is, the topmost part of the abutment, from which the arch arises.^[3]

Usually, the springer is located at the bottom of an arch curve. The "delayed" springing (when the curvature starts noticeably above the support) is a trait of a stilted arch, common in Romanesque and Gothic architecture.^[4]