stanchion

[stan-shuh n]

noun

an upright bar, beam, post, or support, as in a window, stall, ship, etc.

verb (used with object)

to furnish with stanchions.

to secure by or to a stanchion or stanchions.

Nearby words

Origin of stanchion

1375–1425; late Middle English stanchon < Old French estanchon, equivalent to estanche (variant of estance, probably < Vulgar Latin *stantia, equivalent to Latin stant- (stem of stāns), present participle of stāre to stand + -ia -y³) + -on noun suffix

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

Examples from the Web for stanchions

Each log or upright beam of the beacon was to be fixed to the rock by two strong and massive bats or stanchions of iron.
Records of a Family of Engineers|Robert Louis Stevenson
The decks shuddered and jumped, beams arched, and stanchions buckled and shook.
South!|Sir Ernest Shackleton
Thus we had two fine roofs, and these were raised on strong frames supported by stanchions bolted on to the coamings.
A Floating Home|Cyril Ionides
Stanchions, like a forest of bare trees, supported the deck above.
The Boy Scouts' Mountain Camp|John Henry Goldfrap

The stanchions are fastened to the deck by first drilling small holes and forcing them into it.
Boys' Book of Model Boats|Raymond Francis Yates

British Dictionary definitions for stanchions

stanchion

noun

any vertical pole, rod, etc, used as a support

verb

(tr) to provide or support with a stanchion or stanchions

Word Origin for stanchion

C14: from Old French estanchon, from estance, from Vulgar Latin stantia (unattested) a standing, from Latin stāre to stand

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 stanchions

stanchion

mid-14c., from Old French estanchon "prop, brace, support" (French étançon), probably from estant "upright," from present participle of ester "be upright, stand," from Latin stare "to stand," from PIE root *sta- "to stand" (see stet).