plinth
noun
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Plinth and Architecture
"These ivy-clad arcades — / These mouldering plinths ... are they all — / All of the famed, and the colossal left…?" In these lines from "The Coliseum," Edgar Allan Poe alludes to a practical feature of classical architecture. The plinth serves the important purpose of raising the base of the column it supports above the ground, thus protecting it from dampness and mold. The humble plinth is usually a mere thick block. It's humbly named, too, for the Greek word plinthos means simply "tile" or "brick." English writers have used plinth, a shortened version of the Latin form plinthus, since the mid-16th century. The word's meaning was later extended to bases for statues, vases, or busts.
Examples of plinth in a Sentence
Hikmat Mohammed, Footwear News, 12 May 2025
The circular plinth appears to float above a speaker base that hosts controls, and is made from a translucent material (perhaps acrylic) that allows the lighting within to dance to the sounds coming from the vinyl spinning on the equally visual platter.
—New Atlas, 18 Apr. 2025
An aluminum alloy disc on the underside controls platter resonance, while a cork/Neoprene/nitrile disc protects the acrylic plinth.
—Mark Sparrow, Forbes.com, 11 Apr. 2025
They were cleaned and then displayed on a traditional plinth at the museum entrance.
—Issy Ronald and Catherine Nicholls, CNN Money, 26 Apr. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Plinth.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plinth. Accessed 20 May. 2025.
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plinth
noun
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