bal·us·ter
(băl′ə-stər)n.
1.
a. One of the upright, usually rounded or vase-shaped supports of a balustrade.
b. An upright support, such as a furniture leg, having a similar shape.
2. One of the supporting posts of a handrail.
[French balustre, from Italian balaustro, from balaustra, pomegranate flower (from a resemblance to the post), from Latin balaustium, from Greek balaustion, probably from a Semitic source akin to Syriac blaṣ, to bud, flower, and perhaps to Tigrinya bäläṣä, to be superior.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
baluster
(ˈbæləstə)n
(Architecture) any of a set of posts supporting a rail or coping
adj
(Antiques) (of a shape) swelling at the base and rising in a concave curve to a narrow stem or neck: a baluster goblet stem.
[C17: from French balustre, from Italian balaustro pillar resembling a pomegranate flower, ultimately from Greek balaustion]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
bal•us•ter
(ˈbæl ə stər)n.
1. any of a number of closely spaced supports for a railing.
2. balusters, a balustrade.
3. any of various symmetrical supports, as furniture legs or spindles, tending to swell toward the bottom or top.
[1595–1605; < French, Middle French balustre < Italian balaustro pillar shaped like the calyx of the pomegranate flower « Latin balaustium pomegranate flower < GK balaústion]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
| Noun | 1. |  baluster - one of a number of closely spaced supports for a railingbalusters, balustrade, banister, handrail, bannister - a railing at the side of a staircase or balcony to prevent people from falling support - any device that bears the weight of another thing; "there was no place to attach supports for a shelf" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.