Pillar : Dictionary / Wörterbuch (BEOLINGUS, TU Chemnitz)

English Dictionary: Pillar	by the DICT Development Group
4 results for Pillar
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
pillar n a fundamental principle or practice; "science eroded the pillars of superstition" 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" Synonym(s): column, tower, pillar a prominent supporter; "he is a pillar of the community" Synonym(s): pillar, mainstay a vertical cylindrical structure standing alone and not supporting anything (such as a monument) Synonym(s): column, pillar (architecture) a tall vertical cylindrical structure standing upright and used to support a structure Synonym(s): column, pillar
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Pillar \Pil"lar\, n. [OE. pilerF. pilier, LL. pilare, pilarium, pilarius, fr. L. pila a pillar. See {Pile} a heap.] 1. 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. Jacob set a pillar upon her grave. --Gen. xxxv. 20. The place . . . vast and proud, Supported by a hundred pillars stood. --Dryden. 2. 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. [bd]You are a well-deserving pillar.[b8] --Shak. By day a cloud, by night a pillar of fire. --Milton. 3. (R. C. Ch.) A portable ornamental column, formerly carried before a cardinal, as emblematic of his support to the church. [Obs.] --Skelton. 4. (Man.) The center of the volta, ring, or manege ground, around which a horse turns. {From pillar to post}, hither and thither; to and fro; from one place or predicament to another; backward and forward. [Colloq.] {Pillar saint}. See {Stylite}. {Pillars of the fauces}. See {Fauces}, 1.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Pillar \Pil"lar\, a. (Mach.) Having a support in the form of a pillar, instead of legs; as, a pillar drill.
From Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary [easton]:
Pillar used to support a building (Judg. 16:26, 29); as a trophy or memorial (Gen. 28:18; 35:20; Ex. 24:4; 1 Sam. 15:12, A.V., "place," more correctly "monument," or "trophy of victory," as in 2 Sam. 18:18); of fire, by which the Divine Presence was manifested (Ex. 13:2). The "plain of the pillar" in Judg. 9:6 ought to be, as in the Revised Version, the "oak of the pillar", i.e., of the monument or stone set up by Joshua (24:26).