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

see all synonyms and antonyms

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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