balustrade
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
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.
Vocabulary lists containing balustrade
Art History
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The Castle
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"The Snow Queen" by Hans Christian Andersen
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The design includes a glass balustrade on a bridge across a lake, commemorative gardens and at another entrance to the park will be a sculpture which it's been announced will be created by Karen Newman.
From BBC • Jan. 22, 2026
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
Cupping her hands around her mouth to help the sound travel farther, she leans over the balustrade and sends out her succinct message: “It’s the night-watch woman! It just rang 10!”
From Seattle Times • Jan. 28, 2022
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
His father was standing upstairs by the balustrade.
From "The Thief Lord" by Cornelia Funke
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
