pylon

American  

[pahy-lon] / ˈpaɪ lɒn /

noun

1. a marking post or tower for guiding aviators, frequently used in races.

2. a relatively tall structure at the side of a gate, bridge, or avenue, marking an entrance or approach.

3. a monumental tower forming the entrance to an ancient Egyptian temple, consisting either of a pair of tall quadrilateral masonry masses with sloping sides and a doorway between them or of one such mass pierced with a doorway.

4. a steel tower or mast carrying high-tension lines, telephone wires, or other cables and lines.

5. Aeronautics. a finlike device used to attach engines, auxiliary fuel tanks, bombs, etc., to an aircraft wing or fuselage.

---

pylon British  

/ ˈpaɪlən /

noun

1. a large vertical steel tower-like structure supporting high-tension electrical cables

2. a post or tower for guiding pilots or marking a turning point in a race

3. a streamlined aircraft structure for attaching an engine pod, external fuel tank, etc, to the main body of the aircraft

4. a monumental gateway, such as one at the entrance to an ancient Egyptian temple

5. a temporary artificial leg

---

Etymology

Origin of pylon

First recorded in 1840–50, pylon is from the Greek word pylṓn gateway, gate tower

Example Sentences

He acknowledged there were "expense issues" with such a plan, and said that in "some places you will have to have pylons".

From BBC

Climbing an electricity pylon - symbolising the infrastructure that was ruined during the devastating storm - and rapping at the same time, he appeared to pay tribute to the people who died in the 2017 Hurricane Maria.

From BBC

Seguro and Ventura have drastically rewritten their election scripts and appearances to focus on the towns and villages worst hit by floods, where the storm has torn down buildings and pylons.

From Barron's

The Cirrus SR 20 is known to deploy a parachute system and images circulating online after the crash appeared to show a yellow parachute canopy caught in a pylon nearby.

From BBC

The farmer, from Shaw, said he saw response teams running up the track to the pylon.

From BBC

Related Words

• monument