pillar

pillar

noun

Definition of PILLAR

1

an upright shaft that supports an overhead structure <the ancient Greek temple boasted graceful marble pillars with richly ornamented tops>

Synonyms column, pier, pilaster, post, stanchion

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

2

something or someone to which one looks for support <my father has been my pillar throughout this crisis>

Synonyms anchor, buttress, mainstay, pillar, reliance, standby

Related Words backbone, sinew(s), spine; right hand; bolsterer, crutch, handmaiden (also handmaid), prop, stay; anchorage, harbor, refuge