baluster

[ bal-uh-ster ]

noun

1. Architecture. 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.

baluster

/ ˈbæləstə /

noun

1. any of a set of posts supporting a rail or coping

adjective

1. (of a shape) swelling at the base and rising in a concave curve to a narrow stem or neck

   a baluster goblet stem

Other Words From

• balus·tered adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of baluster¹

1595–1605; < French, Middle French balustre < Italian balaustro pillar shaped like the calyx of the pomegranate flower, ultimately < Latin balaustium < Greek balaústion pomegranate flower

Word History and Origins

Origin of baluster¹

C17: from French balustre , from Italian balaustro pillar resembling a pomegranate flower, ultimately from Greek balaustion

Example Sentences

After passing through a curtained entryway, you’re greeted by a dazzling textile baluster mounted on a coin-operated pottery wheel, a life-size wax puppeteer with a twitching hand; an array of mythological porcelain and terra-cotta figurines and a towering sculpture of a woman with an animatronic spinning head.

From New York Times

I zip my suitcase slowly, trying to disguise the sound; but even so, I hear a stirring from the living room couch, and then four feet clamoring up the stairs, her tail rhythmically striking the baluster.

From Salon

They are designed for a baluster style of railing with pickets and can’t be used with all railing types.

From Seattle Times

Werfel flinched backward, stumbling against a baluster.

From Literature

Salem said some of the prospective buyers intended to use the townhouses — known collectively as the Baluster, and priced from $2.995 million to $3.695 million — as a second or third home, a place to stay and to entertain when they are in Washington.

From Washington Post