definitions

baluster

[ bal-uh-ster ]
/ ˈbæl ə stər /
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noun

Architecture. any of a number of closely spaced supports for a railing.
balusters, a balustrade.
any of various symmetrical supports, as furniture legs or spindles, tending to swell toward the bottom or top.

RELATED WORDS

support, balustrade, rail, handrail, shaft, pin, rod, stem, stalk, axle, axis, rachis, mandrel

Nearby words

baluchi, baluchistan, baluchistan states, baluchithere, balun, baluster, baluster measure, baluster stem, balustrade, balzac, balzac, honoré de

Origin of baluster

1595–1605; < French, Middle French balustre < Italian balaustro pillar shaped like the calyx of the pomegranate flower, ultimately < Latin balaustium < Greek balaústion pomegranate flower

Related forms

bal·us·tered, adjective

Can be confused

baluster balustrade banister
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for baluster

British Dictionary definitions for baluster

baluster

/ (ˈbæləstə) /

noun

any of a set of posts supporting a rail or coping

adjective

(of a shape) swelling at the base and rising in a concave curve to a narrow stem or necka baluster goblet stem

Word Origin for baluster

C17: from French balustre, from Italian balaustro pillar resembling a pomegranate flower, ultimately from Greek balaustion
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012