pillar

¹pil·lar

noun \ˈpi-lər\

Definition of PILLAR

1

a : a firm upright support for a superstructure : post

b : a usually ornamental column or shaft; especially : one standing alone for a monument

2

a : a supporting, integral, or upstanding member or part <a pillar of society>

b : a fundamental precept <the five pillars of Islam>

3

: a solid mass of coal, rock, or ore left standing to support a mine roof

4

: a body part that resembles a column

— pil·lar·less adjective

— from pillar to post

: from one place or one predicament to another

Examples of PILLAR

1. <the ancient Greek temple boasted graceful marble pillars with richly ornamented tops>
2. <my father has been my pillar throughout this crisis>

Origin of PILLAR

Middle English piler, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin pilare, from Latin pila

First Known Use: 13th century

Related to PILLAR

Synonyms

column, pier, pilaster, post, stanchion

Related Words

caryatid, pedestal; buttress, flying buttress; needle, obelisk; pile, piling

Other Building Terms

batten, cistern, hearth, lath, transom, wainscot

Rhymes with PILLAR

biller, chiller, driller, filler, giller, griller, hiller, killer, miller, schiller, Schiller, spiller, swiller, thriller, tiller, triller

²pillar

transitive verb

Definition of PILLAR

: to provide or strengthen with or as if with pillars

First Known Use of PILLAR

1607

Other Architecture Terms

buttress, casita, cornice, fanlight, garret, lintel, parapet, pilaster, plinth

Rhymes with PILLAR

giller, griller, hiller, killer, spiller, swiller, tiller, triller

pil·lar

noun \ˈpil-ər\   (Medical Dictionary)

Medical Definition of PILLAR

: a body part likened to a pillar or column (as the margin of the external inguinal ring); specifically : pillar of the fauces

pillar

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Relatively slender isolated vertical structural member such as a pier or (usually squat) column. It may be constructed of a single piece of stone or wood or built up of units, such as bricks. A pillar commonly has a load-bearing or stabilizing function, but it may also stand alone, as do commemorative pillars.