banister
Americannoun
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a baluster.
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Sometimes banisters. the balustrade of a staircase.
Etymology
Origin of banister
First recorded in 1660–70; apparently by dissimilation from earlier barrister, alteration of baluster, perhaps by association with bar 1
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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 velvety silhouette feels as distant as the sea, whose dark surface is sliced by the banister.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 20, 2026
The inquest also heard two statements from firefighters Leighton Brown and Gareth Davies who said the stairs banister, ceiling and the whole of the landing was “covered in smoke and fire” on their arrival.
From BBC • Nov. 18, 2024
“And then literally at the same time, on another channel, there was Jamie,” he recalled in an interview last week, “this floppy-haired Essex boy, sliding down the banister doing one-pot wonders.”
From New York Times • Jan. 27, 2024
There were icicle lights outside their rural Georgia home, garland on the banister and stockings hanging above the fireplace.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 21, 2023
I wind up walking into the banister, and then almost fall down the stairs because I’m craning my neck to see PopPop’s closed bedroom door.
From "Fast Pitch" by Nic Stone
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.
