stiffener

noun

Etymology: Etymology tree English stiffen English -er English stiffener From stiffen + -er.

1. Anything added to something in order to stiffen it, such as a support beam, or starch for a collar.

   “[…] he wears a wisp of black silk round his neck, without any stiffener, as an apology for a neckerchief […]”

   “[…] each of these stiffener-columns must be designed to resist approximately 26 tons. Sometimes single angles are thus used as stiffeners […]”

2. One of a series of angle bars, Z-bars, beams, rods, or other shapes, attached in order to provide them the necessary stiffness or rigidity.
3. An alcoholic drink taken to fortify oneself.

   “I believe the old man has taken himself off to the nearest bar for a stiffener.”