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pillar

[ pil-er ]
/ ˈpɪl ər /
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See synonyms for: pillar / pillared / pillaring / pillars on Thesaurus.com

noun
verb (used with object)
to provide or support with pillars.
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Idioms about pillar

    from pillar to post,
    1. aimlessly from place to place.
    2. uneasily from one bad situation or predicament to another.

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 pile1;see also -ar1

synonym study for pillar

1. See column.

OTHER WORDS FROM pillar

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

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH pillar

pillar , pillory, pillow
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use pillar in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for pillar

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
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