Main Entry: ¹pil·lar

Pronunciation: \ˈpi-lər\

Function: noun

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

Date: 13th century

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