pillar

American  

[pil-er] / ˈpɪl ər /

noun

1. an upright shaft or structure, of stone, brick, or other material, relatively slender in proportion to its height, and of any shape in section, used as a building support, or standing alone, as for a monument.

   Gothic pillars; a pillar to commemorate Columbus.

   Synonyms:

   pier, pilaster

2. a natural formation resembling such a construction.

   a pillar of rock; a pillar of smoke.

3. any upright, supporting part; post.

   the pillar of a table.

4. a person who is a chief supporter of a society, state, institution, etc..

   a pillar of the community.

5. a basis or support.

   The government regards agriculture and trade as fundamental pillars for the future economy.

6. a core tenet, belief, or religious act, especially in Islam.

   As the fifth pillar of Islam, every Muslim is obligated to make pilgrimage at least once in their lifetime as long as it is possible.

   The Ten Commandments are considered to be pillars of both Judaism and Christianity.

7. Horology. any of several short parts for spacing and keeping in the proper relative positions two plates holding the bearings of a watch or clock movement.

8. Mining. an isolated mass of rock or ore in a mine, usually serving as a roof support in early operations and later removed, wholly or in part.

9. Nautical. mast.

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verb (used with object)

1. to provide or support with pillars.

idioms

1. from pillar to post,

   1. aimlessly from place to place.

   2. uneasily from one bad situation or predicament to another.

pillar British  

/ ˈpɪlə /

noun

1. an upright structure of stone, brick, metal, etc, that supports a superstructure or is used for ornamentation

2. something resembling this in shape or function

   a pillar of stones

   a pillar of smoke

3. a tall, slender, usually sheer rock column, forming a separate top

4. a prominent supporter

   a pillar of the Church

5. from one place to another

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verb

1. (tr) to support with or as if with pillars

Related Words

See column.

Other Word Forms

• pillared adjective
• pillarlike adjective
• unpillared adjective

Etymology

Origin of pillar

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English piler(e), pileir, pillar(e) from Old French piler, pileir, piller, and Medieval Latin pīlāre, pīlārium, pīlārius, from Latin pīla pile ¹; -ar ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

Tourism, once one of the island’s economic pillars, has plummeted, with hotel occupancy hovering below 30%, according to industry executives.

From The Wall Street Journal

Some of Gustav and Julia’s children become communist activists, leading shadowy lives on the run from the czarist police, while others are pillars of society, becoming lawyers or marrying doctors.

From The Wall Street Journal

The report said that domestic Chinese GPUs would likely move from being “strategic backups” to “core pillars” of China’s AI industry over the next three to five years.

From The Wall Street Journal

Meeting this moment requires a national plan for AI preparedness, grounded in four central pillars, transforming education from the earliest grades to late-career retraining.

From MarketWatch

Punjabi Sikhs are a pillar of the American trucking industry.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• pedestal