pilaster

[ pi-las-ter ]

/ pɪˈlæs tər /

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noun Architecture.

a shallow rectangular feature projecting from a wall, having a capital and base and usually imitating the form of a column.

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Origin of pilaster

1565–75; pile¹ (in obsolete sense “pillar”) + -aster¹, modeled on Italian pilastro or Medieval Latin pīlastrum

OTHER WORDS FROM pilaster

un·der·pi·las·ter, noun

Words nearby pilaster

pil., pilaf, pilar, pilar cyst, pilar tumor of scalp, pilaster, pilastered, pilaster mass, pilaster strip, pilastrade, Pilate

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use pilaster in a sentence

Archie had been sitting in his favourite attitude, with his stockinged feet against the pilaster of the fireplace.
In Accordance with the Evidence|Oliver Onions
Although all are shorter than the usual pilaster, the design is exactly similar to that usually employed for this purpose.
The Brochure Series of Architectural Illustration, Volume 01, No. 06, June 1895|Various
The Duke of Somerset took the most sensible course and went to sleep, leaning against a pilaster, immediately after dinner.
Memoirs of the Duchesse de Dino v.1/3, 1831-1835|Dorothy Duchesse de Dino
Various gargoyles project from the uppermost string, which on the east side is not broken by the central pilaster.
Bell's Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Ripon|Cecil Walter Charles Hallett

Adjoining it is a flat pilaster buttress, apparently original.
Bell's Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Ripon|Cecil Walter Charles Hallett

British Dictionary definitions for pilaster

pilaster

/ (pɪˈlæstə) /

noun

a shallow rectangular column attached to the face of a wall

Derived forms of pilaster

pilastered, adjective

Word Origin for pilaster

C16: from French pilastre, from Latin pīla pillar

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

pilaster

Origin of pilaster

OTHER WORDS FROM pilaster

Words nearby pilaster

Words related to pilaster

How to use pilaster in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for pilaster

Derived forms of pilaster

Word Origin for pilaster