pillar

[ pil-er ]

/ ˈpɪl ər /

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR pillar ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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.

a natural formation resembling such a construction: a pillar of rock; a pillar of smoke.

any upright, supporting part; post: the pillar of a table.

a person who is a chief supporter of a society, state, institution, etc.: a pillar of the community.

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.

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.

Nautical. mast¹(def 2).

verb (used with object)

to provide or support with pillars.

Nearby words

pill bug, pill popper, pill pusher, pill-rolling, pillage, pillared, pillar box, pillar to post, pillar-and-breast, pillarbox, pillared

Idioms

from pillar to post,

aimlessly from place to place.
uneasily from one bad situation or predicament to another.

Origin of pillar

1175–1225; Middle English pillare < Medieval Latin pīlāre (see pile¹, -ar²); replacing earlier piler < Old French < Medieval Latin, as above

SYNONYMS FOR pillar

1 pilaster, pier.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR pillar ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formspil·lared, adjectivepil·lar·like, adjectiveun·pil·lared, adjective

Can be confusedpillar pillory pillow

Synonym study

1. See column.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for pillared

The procession arrived at a pillared archway leading underneath the solid walls of the fortress.
The Goddess of Atvatabar|William R. Bradshaw
For a moment, when the long, pillared building first came into view, Radmore had felt a thrill of unreasonable disappointment.
What Timmy Did|Marie Adelaide Belloc Lowndes
I hope you will not say that I have built a pillared portico of introduction to a humble structure of narrative.
The Poet at the Breakfast Table|Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
It was of the omnipotent—the pillared portal of the Temple of the Bell.
The Blind Spot|Austin Hall

The pillared front of the Palace stretched before us raised on the terrace, its total length 260 feet.
Camps, Quarters and Casual Places|Archibald Forbes

British Dictionary definitions for pillared

pillar

/ (ˈpɪlə) /

noun

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

something resembling this in shape or functiona pillar of stones; a pillar of smoke

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

a prominent supportera pillar of the Church

from pillar to post from one place to another

verb

(tr) to support with or as if with pillars

Word Origin for pillar

C13: from Old French pilier, from Latin pīla; see pile 1

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

Word Origin and History for pillared

pillar

c.1200, from Old French piler "pillar, column, pier" (12c., Modern French pilier) and directly from Medieval Latin pilare, from Latin pila "pillar, stone barrier." Figurative sense of "prop or support of an institution or community" is first recorded early 14c. Phrase pillar to post is c.1600, originally of tennis, exact meaning obscure.

pillar

noun

verb (used with object)

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Idioms

Origin of pillar

Synonym study

Examples from the Web for pillared

British Dictionary definitions for pillared

pillar

noun

verb

Word Origin for pillar

Word Origin and History for pillared

pillar

Medicine definitions for pillared

pillar

n.