Dictionary.com

plinth

[ plinth ]
/ plɪnθ /
Save This Word!

noun Architecture.
a slablike member beneath the base of a column or pier.
a square base or a lower block, as of a pedestal.
Also called plinth course . a projecting course of stones at the base of a wall; earth table.
(in joinery) a flat member at the bottom of an architrave, dado, baseboard, or the like.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?

Origin of plinth

1555–65; earlier plinthus<Latin <Greek plínthos plinth, squared stone, brick, tile

OTHER WORDS FROM plinth

plinthless, adjectiveplinthlike, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use plinth in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for plinth

plinth
/ (plɪnθ) /

noun
Also called: socle the rectangular slab or block that forms the lowest part of the base of a column, statue, pedestal, or pier
Also called: plinth course the lowest part of the wall of a building that appears above ground level, esp one that is formed of a course of stone or brick
a flat block on either side of a doorframe, where the architrave meets the skirting
a flat base on which a structure or piece of equipment is placed

Word Origin for plinth

C17: from Latin plinthus, from Greek plinthos brick, shaped stone
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
FEEDBACK