Definitions for pillar
ˈpɪl ərpil·lar

Princeton's WordNet(5.00 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. pillarnoun

   a fundamental principle or practice

   "science eroded the pillars of superstition"

2. column, tower, pillarnoun

   anything that approximates the shape of a column or tower

   "the test tube held a column of white powder"; "a tower of dust rose above the horizon"; "a thin pillar of smoke betrayed their campsite"

3. pillar, mainstaynoun

   a prominent supporter

   "he is a pillar of the community"

4. column, pillarnoun

   a vertical cylindrical structure standing alone and not supporting anything (such as a monument)

5. column, pillarnoun

   (architecture) a tall vertical cylindrical structure standing upright and used to support a structure

Wiktionary(2.67 / 3 votes)Rate this definition:

1. pillarnoun

   A large post, often used as supporting architecture.

2. pillarnoun

   Something resembling such a structure.

   a pillar of smoke

3. pillarnoun

   An essential part of something that provides support.

   He's a pillar of the community.

4. pillarverb

   To provide with pillars or added strength as if from pillars.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. PILLARnoun

   Etymology: pilier, Fr. pilar, Spanish; pilastro, Italian; piler, Welsh and Armorick.

   1. A column.

   Pillars or columns, I could distinguish into simple and compounded. Henry Wotton, Architecture.

   The palace built by Picus vast and proud,
   Supported by a hundred pillars stood. Dryden.

   2. A supporter; a maintainer.

   Give them leave to fly, that will not stay;
   And call them pillars that will stand to us. William Shakespeare.

   Note, and you shall see in him
   The triple pillar of the world transform’d
   Into a strumpet’s stool. William Shakespeare, Ant. and Cleopatra.

   I charge you by the law,
   Whereof you are a well deserving pillar,
   Proceed to judgment. William Shakespeare, Merch. of Venice.

Webster Dictionary(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Pillarnoun

   the general and popular term for a firm, upright, insulated support for a superstructure; a pier, column, or post; also, a column or shaft not supporting a superstructure, as one erected for a monument or an ornament

2. Pillarnoun

   figuratively, that which resembles such a pillar in appearance, character, or office; a supporter or mainstay; as, the Pillars of Hercules; a pillar of the state

3. Pillarnoun

   a portable ornamental column, formerly carried before a cardinal, as emblematic of his support to the church

4. Pillarnoun

   the center of the volta, ring, or manege ground, around which a horse turns

5. Pillaradjective

   having a support in the form of a pillar, instead of legs; as, a pillar drill

6. Etymology: [OE. pilerF. pilier, LL. pilare, pilarium, pilarius, fr. L. pila a pillar. See Pile a heap.]

Freebase(4.00 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Pillar

   Pillar is a Christian rock band currently located in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Their sixth studio album, Confessions, was released in 2009. On October 27, 2012 Pillar announced that the four members from the "peak years" would be reuniting with plans of releasing a new album in 2013.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Pillar

   pil′ar, n. (archit.) a detached support, differing from a column in that it is not necessarily cylindrical, or of classical proportions: one who, or anything that, sustains: something resembling a pillar in appearance.—adj. Pill′ared, supported by a pillar: having the form of a pillar.—ns. Pill′ar-box, a short pillar in a street with receptacle for letters to be sent by post; Pill′arist, Pill′ar-saint, a person in the early church who crucified the flesh by living on the summit of pillars in the open air, a stylite.—From pillar to post, from one state of difficulty to another: hither and thither. [O. Fr. piler (Fr. pilier)—Low L. pilare—L. pīla, a pillar.]

Editors Contribution(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. pillar

   A type of structure.

   The pillar of the carpark was sturdy.

   
   

   Submitted by MaryC on March 10, 2020  

Suggested Resources(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. pillar

   Song lyrics by pillar -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by pillar on the Lyrics.com website.

Matched Categories

1. • Architecture
   • Principle
   • Shape
   • Structure
   • Supporter
   • Upright

British National Corpus

1. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'pillar' in Nouns Frequency: #2990

Anagrams for pillar »

1. Aprill

How to pronounce pillar?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say pillar in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of pillar in Chaldean Numerology is: 9

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of pillar in Pythagorean Numerology is: 5

Examples of pillar in a Sentence

1. Hossein Rassam:

   This was a bitter defeat for Ayatollah Rafsanjani. It demonstrated the biting reality that Rafsanjani is no longer a pillar of the Islamic Republic to powerful hardliners, even though he is still very influential.

2. Jeffrey Vlaming:

   CHRIS The bane and blessing of human nature. That old cat killer, curiosity. Something so deeply embedded in our psyches that it screams to us from ancient myths of Pandora. Eve. Lot's wife. JOEL Eve lost paradise, Lot's wife was turned into a pillar of salt. Knowledge doesn't come cheap my friend. CHRIS Good or bad, curiosity is woven into our DNA like tonsils or like the opposable thumb. It's the fire under the ass of the human experience

3. Paolo Gentiloni:

   I very much regret the U.S.' move to put the brakes on international talks on taxation of the digital economy. I hope that this will be a temporary setback rather than a definitive stop, the European Commission wants a global solution to bring corporate taxation into the 21st century – and we believe the OECD's two-pillar approach is the right one.

4. Lionel Zinsou:

   Education is a pillar of development that must be addressed with great interest, with the goal of responding to the standards of the labor market.

5. Steven Mnuchin:

   The good news is we're very close to a consensus on pillar 2.

Popularity rank by frequency of use