Baluster

Pronunciation

• US IPA: /ˈbæl.ÊŒ.str/

Alternative forms

• balustre Commonwealth

Origin

French balustre, from Italian balaustro 'pillar', from balausta 'wild pomegranate flower', so named because of resemblance to the swelling form of the half-open flower, from Ancient Greek βαλαύστιον, from Semitic (compare Aramaic balatz 'wild pomegranate flower').

Full definition of baluster

Noun

1. (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, The China Governess Chapter 3, 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.

Synonyms

• banister

Related terms

• balustrade