[5] A jetty is an upper floor that depends on a cantilever system in which a horizontal beam, the jetty bressummer, supports the wall above and projects forward beyond the floor below (a technique also called oversailing).
Jetty joists in their turn were slotted sideways into the diagonal dragon beams at angle of 45° by means of mortise and tenon joints.
The origins of jettying are unclear but some reasons put forward for their purpose are:[6] Jetties were popular in the 16th century but banned in Rouen in 1520 relating to air circulation and the plague, and London in 1667 relating to the great fire.
In the North African Maghreb, houses in medieval city kasbahs often featured jetties.
The House of Opus Craticum, built before AD 79 in Roman Herculaneum, has a supported cantilever.