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.

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

Related Words for stanchions

bolster, framework, support, stay, beam, upright, post, prop, brace

Examples from the Web for stanchions

Historical Examples of stanchions

Begin by inserting the stanchions in the sockets in the lower plane.
Flying Machines
W.J. Jackman and Thos. H. Russell
Over the whole there was a light roof, supported on stanchions.
Heart of Darkness
Joseph Conrad
"Davits an' stanchions, men—never mind the rail," said the boatswain.
The Wreck of the Titan
Morgan Robertson
The beam upon which the stanchions of the beak-head bulk-head stand.
The Sailor's Word-Book
William Henry Smyth
We clung for our lives to ropes, stanchions, and ring-bolts.
Peter Trawl
W. H. G. Kingston

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).