balustrade

American  

[bal-uh-streyd, bal-uh-streyd] / ˈbæl əˌstreɪd, ˌbæl əˈstreɪd /

noun

Architecture.

1. a railing with supporting balusters.

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balustrade British  

/ ˈbæləˌstreɪd /

noun

1. an ornamental rail or coping with its supporting set of balusters

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Other Word Forms

• balustraded
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of balustrade

1635–45; < French balustre baluster + -ade -ade ¹; compare Spanish balaustrada, Italian balaustrata

Explanation

A balustrade is a row of spindles that support a railing. You're especially likely to notice balustrades on balconies or bridges. A small wooden or stone pillar or column is a baluster, like the balusters that support a stairway railing. A whole row of balusters lined up together comprise a balustrade. Balustrade is a French word that's rooted in the Italian balausta, "flower of the wild pomegranate," which has a double-curved stem shaped like a baluster.

Example Sentences

A plush, red velvet fauteuil tucked into the lower right corner of the picture is like an upscale launching pad, which has propelled the man to the balustrade along a tall French window.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 4, 2025

A red-carpeted, balustrade staircase was also erected mid-air, waiting for the train to pull in and for the North Korean leader to step out.

From BBC • Sep. 14, 2023

The cabanas are now gone, and regulars may notice that, inside, the few steps leading to the dining room and the balustrade around it are, too.

From New York Times • Oct. 5, 2021

In one of the least weed-infested areas, a large formal pond — the Lower Pool — is framed by a high stone wall, with arched grottoes and capped with a balustrade.

From Washington Post • Aug. 17, 2021

There’s too much ornate woodwork here, and the precious layerings of molding and mullion and balustrade and apse, all those thousands of genteel decisions, the studied cuts, just unsettle me.

From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee