Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Baluster
Bal′us-ter
,Noun.
[F.
balustre
, It. balaustro
, fr. L. balaustium
the flower of the wild pomegranate, fr. Gr. βαλαύστιον
; – so named from the similarity of form.] (Arch.)
A small column or pilaster, used as a support to the rail of an open parapet, to guard the side of a staircase, or the front of a gallery. See
Balustrade
. [Corrupted into
banister
.] Webster 1828 Edition
Baluster
BAL'USTER
,Noun.
A small column or pilaster, of various forms and dimension, often adorned with moldings, used for balustrades.
Definition 2024
baluster
baluster
English
Different types of baluster
Alternative forms
- balustre (Commonwealth)
Noun
baluster (plural balusters)
- (architecture) A short column used in a group to support a rail, as commonly found on the side of a stairway; a banister.
- 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 3, in The China Governess:
- Sepia Delft tiles surrounded the fireplace, their crudely drawn Biblical scenes in faded cyclamen blending with the pinkish pine, while above them, instead of a mantelshelf, there was an archway high enough to form a balcony with slender balusters and a tapestry-hung wall behind.
- 2004, Alan Hollinghurst, The Line of Beauty, Bloomsbury, 2005, Chapter 17 (i),
- Nick looked at the floor, and at the rhythm of the black-and-gilt S-shaped balusters.
-
Synonyms
Related terms
Translations
banister