pilaster

noun

pi·​las·​ter pi-ˈla-stər How to pronounce pilaster (audio) ˈpī-ˌla- How to pronounce pilaster (audio)
: an upright architectural member that is rectangular in plan and is structurally a pier but architecturally treated as a column and that usually projects a third of its width or less from the wall

Illustration of pilaster

Illustration of pilaster
  • 1 pilaster

Examples of pilaster in a Sentence

the rectangular pilasters spaced along the building's facade lend an air of classical grandeur
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Though more stately in its setting of classical pilasters and marble floors, the lobby El Bar del Majestic is pretty hopping too with live piano music. John Oseid, Forbes, 17 Dec. 2024 Rising above the great staircase is a builder’s catalogue of pilasters, cornices, corners, lion’s heads, dentils, robed muses, medallions, scrolls, and arched niches. Justin Davidson, Curbed, 10 Dec. 2024 Highlights of the home include a fireside grand salon, an art gallery that doubles as a safe room, and a movie theater festooned with black marble fluted pilasters and red velvet seats. Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 21 Oct. 2024 Of the several homes for sale in the building, Residence 5N is listed for $6.1 million and offers both modern living alongside exceptionally ornate, detailed moldings and carved pilasters. Emma Reynolds, Forbes, 25 Mar. 2025 The addition neither aspires to novelty nor imitates great age, being free of balustrades, pilasters, dentil cornices, and all the other surface frosting that Beaux-Arts architects considered indispensable. Justin Davidson, Curbed, 25 Mar. 2025 There are showstoppers, like the Zaveri house (also known as the House with 365 Windows) which is now stained black with grit, its grand pilasters and geometric facade carvings in dire need of restoration, and the Teen Khuniya (or Three-Cornered House), with its distinctive triangular layout. Kalpana Sunder, CNN, 11 Mar. 2025 Designed to evoke the Pantheon, the rotunda’s curved sandstone walls are divided by fluted Doric pilasters with wreaths of olive branches carved in the frieze above. Riley Beggin, USA TODAY, 20 Jan. 2025 Though more stately in its setting of classical pilasters and marble floors, the lobby El Bar del Majestic is pretty hopping too with live piano music. John Oseid, Forbes, 17 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle French pilastre, from Italian pilastro

First Known Use

1573, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of pilaster was in 1573

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Pilaster.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pilaster. Accessed 21 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

pilaster

noun
pi·​las·​ter ˈpī-ˌlas-tər How to pronounce pilaster (audio)
: an upright rectangular column that ornaments or helps to support a wall from which it sticks out slightly

Medical Definition

pilaster

noun
pi·​las·​ter pi-ˈlas-tər How to pronounce pilaster (audio)
: an elongated hardened ridge
especially : a longitudinal bony ridge on the back of the femur

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