pedestal

American  

[ped-uh-stl] / ˈpɛd ə stl /

noun

1. an architectural support for a column, statue, vase, or the like.

2. a supporting structure or piece; base.

3. Furniture.

   1. a support for a desk, consisting of a boxlike frame containing drawers one above the other.

   2. a columnar support for a tabletop.

4. Building Trades. a bulge cast at the bottom of a concrete pile.

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verb (used with object)

pedestaled, pedestaling, pedestalled, pedestalling

1. to put on or supply with a pedestal.

idioms

1. set / put on a pedestal, to glorify; idealize.

   When we first became engaged each of us set the other on a pedestal.

pedestal British  

/ ˈpɛdɪstəl /

noun

1. a base that supports a column, statue, etc, as used in classical architecture

2. a position of eminence or supposed superiority (esp in the phrases place, put, or set on a pedestal )

3. 1. either of a pair of sets of drawers used as supports for a writing surface

   2. ( as modifier )

      a pedestal desk

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pedestal More Idioms  

1. see on a pedestal.

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Other Word Forms

• unpedestal verb (used with object)

Etymology

Origin of pedestal

1555–65; alteration of Middle French piedestal < Italian piedestallo, variant of piedistallo literally, foot of stall. See ped- ², de, stall ¹

Example Sentences

As long as you don’t put your adviser on a pedestal — and then express disappointment when you realize they aren’t all-knowing sages — you set yourself up for a stronger, less fraught relationship.

From MarketWatch

He stood on a pedestal with his right arm raised - just like Lumumba's famous statue in DR Congo's capital, Kinshasa - as fans around him cheered.

From BBC

It's a standout year by any measure, but she insists awards aren't her focus and she doesn't want "to be put on a pedestal", adding she believes in herself for her own reasons.

From BBC

They don’t have any excitement in their own lives, so they put him on the same pedestal as the circus performers in “Freaks” or Gwynplaine in “The Man Who Laughs.”

From Salon

Now I can see the steps and the pedestal below the obelisk, which had been covered up my entire life.

From Literature

Related Words

• podium