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
Robert Ross, Robb Report, 26 Mar. 2025
As people clinked glasses of Moët & Chandon, Hadid and fellow model Josephine Skriver caught up near marble plinths while Naomi Campbell and the French Minister of Culture, Rachida Dati, shared airkisses tableside.
—Freya Drohan, Vogue, 5 Mar. 2025
Related Articles In that vein, the counters housing the brand’s core collection are actually separate plinths that can be repurposed and repositioned, or cleared out entirely should the brand use the space to host an event.
—James Manso, WWD, 3 Sep. 2019
Children play on the pedestals and plinths that once held towering statues of Mr. al-Assad, his father and his brother.
—Raja Abdulrahim, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Plinth.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plinth. Accessed 15 Apr. 2025.
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plinth
noun
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