tower

live in an/(one's) ivory tower

To reside or exist in a place or among a social circle that is characterized by effete academic intelligence and thus is out of touch with or aloof from the realities of life. I don't put much weight in the advice of a bunch of economists living in their ivory towers who've never worked a real job in their lives. It seemed easy to solve all the world's problems when I was living in an ivory tower. Now that I'm out of college, I realize things are so much more complex than I'd imagined.See also: ivory, live, tower

an/(one's) ivory tower

A place or a social circle that is characterized by effete academic intelligence and thus is out of touch with or aloof from the realities of life. I don't put much weight in the advice of a bunch of economists living in their ivory towers who've never worked a real job in their lives. It seemed easy to solve all the world's problems when I was living in an ivory tower. Now that I'm out of college, I realize things are so much more complex than I'd imagined.See also: ivory, tower

tower over (someone or something)

To be much taller than someone or something else. They're almost comical together because he towers over her so much. The mighty new skyscraper towers over the city.See also: over, tower

tower above (someone or something)

To be much taller than someone or something else. They're almost comical together because he towers above her so much. The mighty new skyscraper towers above the city.See also: above, tower

tower of strength

Someone who is very dependable and provides a great deal of support or encouragement, especially in times of trouble or difficulty. Mary has been an absolute tower of strength ever since my mother fell ill. My husband has been a tower of strength while I work on my PhD.See also: of, strength, tower

in an/(one's) ivory tower

Residing or existing in a place or among a social circle that is characterized by effete academic intelligence and thus is out of touch with or aloof from the realities of life. I don't put much weight in the advice of a bunch of economists living in their ivory towers who've never worked a real job in their lives. It seemed easy to solve all the world's problems when I was living in an ivory tower. Now that I'm out of college, I realize things are so much more complex than I'd imagined.See also: ivory, tower

be in an/(one's) ivory tower

To reside or exist in a place or among a social circle that is characterized by effete academic intelligence and thus is out of touch with or aloof from the realities of life. I don't put much weight in the advice of a bunch of economists who are in their ivory towers and have never worked a real job in their lives. It seemed easy to solve all the world's problems when I was in an ivory tower. Now that I'm out of college, I realize things are so much more complex than I'd imagined.See also: ivory, tower

dwell in an/(one's) ivory tower

To reside or exist in a place or among a social circle that is characterized by effete academic intelligence and thus is out of touch with or aloof from the realities of life. I don't put much weight in the advice of a bunch of economists dwelling in their ivory towers who've never worked a real job in their lives. It seemed easy to solve all the world's problems when I was dwelling in an ivory tower. Now that I'm out of college, I realize things are so much more complex than I'd imagined.See also: dwell, ivory, tower

work in an/(one's) ivory tower

To reside or exist in a place or among a social circle that is characterized by effete academic intelligence and thus is out of touch with or aloof from the realities of life. I don't put much weight in the advice of a bunch of economists working in their ivory towers—they've never had a real job in their lives. It seemed easy to solve all the world's problems when I was working in an ivory tower. Now that I'm not a professor anymore, I realize things are so much more complex than I'd imagined.See also: ivory, tower, work

*in an ivory tower

Fig. in a place, such as a university, where one can be aloof from the realities of living. (Typ—ically: be ~; dwell ~; live ~; work ~.) If you didn't spend so much time in your ivory tower, you'd know what people really think! Many professors are said to live in ivory towers. They don't know what the real world is like.See also: ivory, tower

tower above someone or something

to stand or be much taller than someone or something. (Often used in exaggeration.) The basketball player towered above everyone else in the room. The new building towered above all the others in town.See also: above, tower

tower head and shoulders above someone or something

1. Lit. [for someone] to stand much taller than someone or something. (Often used in exaggeration.) Bob towers head and shoulders above both his parents. The boys towered head and shoulders above the walls of the maze. They found their way around easily. 2. Fig. to be far superior to someone or a group. The new vice president towers head and shoulders above the old one. The chairman towered head and shoulders above the rest of the committee.See also: above, and, head, shoulder, tower

tower of strength

Fig. a person who can always be depended on to provide support and encouragement, especially in times of trouble. Mary was a tower of strength when Jean was in the hospital. She looked after her whole family. Jack was a tower of strength during the time that his father was unemployed.See also: of, strength, tower

tower over someone or something

to stand much taller than someone or something. Tom towers over his older brother, Stan. Tom towered over the little desk he had been assigned to.See also: over, tower

ivory tower

A place or attitude of retreat, remoteness from everyday affairs, as in What does the professor know about student life, living as he does in an ivory tower? This term is a translation of the French tour d'ivoire, which the critic Saint-Beuve used to describe the attitude of poet Alfred de Vigny in 1837. It is used most often in reference to intellectuals and artists who remain complacently aloof. See also: ivory, tower

tower of strength

A dependable person on whom one can lean in time of trouble, as in After Dad died Grandma was a tower of strength for the whole family. This expression, first recorded in 1549, originally was used most often to refer to God and heaven, but Shakespeare had it differently in Richard III (5:3): "Besides, the King's name is a tower of strength." See also: of, strength, tower

an ivory tower

COMMON If you say that someone is in an ivory tower, you mean that they are protected from the problems of ordinary life and are not aware of how ordinary people live. They're all out of touch — they live up in a little ivory tower, and they don't see what's going on down here. This won't happen until politicians come down from their ivory tower and learn to work in the real world of limited budgets and uncertain futures. Note: This is a translation of a French expression `tour d'ivoire', which was used by the critic Saint-Beuve to describe the way in which the writer Alfred de Vigny isolated himself from the rest of society. See also: ivory, tower

a tower of strength

a pillar of strength

COMMON If someone is a tower of strength or a pillar of strength during a difficult period in your life, they give you a lot of help or support. My eldest daughter was a tower of strength for me when I was sick. In her terrible sadness she has found Charles to be a pillar of strength.See also: of, strength, tower

a tower (or pillar) of strength

a person who can be relied upon to be a source of strong support and comfort. This phrase may come from the Book of Common Prayer: ‘O Lord…be unto them a tower of strength’.See also: of, strength, tower

an ˌivory ˈtower

(disapproving) a way of life in which people avoid the unpleasant realities of life: Just because I’m a writer, it doesn’t mean I live in an ivory tower. I have to earn a living like anyone else. ♢ What do professors and academics sitting in their ivory towers know about the real world?See also: ivory, tower

a ˌpillar/ˌtower of ˈstrength

a person who gives you the courage and determination to continue when you are in a bad situation: My wife has been a tower of strength during my illness. ♢ During your five years in prison, Terry was a pillar of strength.See also: of, pillar, strength, tower

tower above

or tower overv.1. To appear at or rise to a conspicuous height above someone or something: The oak towered above the rest of the trees. The skyscrapers tower over the horizon.2. To demonstrate great superiority over someone or something: In terms of performance, our record towers above that of any other company in this city. Her report stated that the legacy of Alexander's empire towers over all other nations of the ancient world.See also: above, tower

ivory tower

n. an imaginary location where aloof academics are said to reside and work. Why don’t you come out of your ivory tower and see what the world is really like? See also: ivory, tower

ivory tower

A situation or attitude remote from practical affairs. The term originated in the French critic Sainte-Beuve’s description of poet Alfred de Vigny as living in an ivory tower (1837), that is, isolated from life’s harsh realities. Subsequently, the term has been used to describe academics, artists, writers, or indeed anyone complacently aloof from everyday affairs. Cyril Connolly (Enemies of Promise, 1938) used it to disparage Walter Pater: “Pater, calling an art-for-art’s sake muezzin to the faithful from the top-most turret of the ivory tower.” The term is heard less often today but is by no means obsolete. See also: ivory, tower

tower of strength

A reliable, supportive person, dependable especially in time of trouble. In the Bible this image is often reserved for God or, later, for religious faith. In the nineteenth century Tennyson used it for the duke of Wellington: “O fall’n at length that tower of strength” (“Ode on the Death of the Duke of Wellington,” 1852). It remains current.See also: of, strength, tower

tower

tower,

structure, the greatest dimension of which is its height. Towers have belonged to two general types. The first embodies practical uses such as defense (characteristic of the Middle Ages), to carry bells, beacons, or antennas, and to utilize maximum floor space in a given area, as in modern skyscrapers. The second type is used to symbolize the authority and power of religious and civic bodies, as in the churches and town halls of Europe; skyscrapersskyscraper,
modern building of great height, constructed on a steel skeleton. The form originated in the United States. Development of the Form

Many mechanical and structural developments in the last quarter of the 19th cent. contributed to its evolution.
..... Click the link for more information. also perform a similar function for modern corporations. The earliest use of tall structures for ritual and symbolism is seen in the Babylonian zigguratziggurat
, form of temple common to the Sumerians, Babylonians and Assyrians. The earliest examples date from the end of the 3d millenium B.C., the latest from the 6th cent. B.C.
..... Click the link for more information. . The temple architecture of India had a variety of pyramidal and cylindrical masonry towers. The many-storied pagodapagoda
, name given in the East to a variety of buildings of tower form that are usually part of a temple or monastery group and serve as shrines. Those of India (see stupa) are chiefly pyramidal structures of masonry, tapering to an apex and elaborately adorned with carving and
..... Click the link for more information. in wood was a part of early Chinese and Japanese temple architecture. The minaretminaret
, tower, used in Islamic architecture, from which the faithful are called to prayer by a muezzin. Most mosques have one or more small towers, which are usually placed at the corners.
..... Click the link for more information. belongs to Islamic religious architecture. Used for defensive purposes in the early Middle Ages in Western Europe, towers with massive masonry walls served as refuges and lookouts. Many 9th- and 10th-century round defense towers remain in Ireland and a few in Scotland, including one at Brechin. Castles had their donjons or keeps, of which the 11th-century Tower of LondonTower of London,
ancient fortress in London, England, just east of the City and on the north bank of the Thames, covering about 13 acres (5.3 hectares). Now used mainly as a museum, it was a royal residence in the Middle Ages. Later it was a jail for illustrious prisoners.
..... Click the link for more information. shows a high development. Of the fortified towers that Italian nobles built even for their city dwellings numerous examples remain, notably at San Gimignano. The earliest existing church towers in Europe were those of the 5th and 6th cent. in Ravenna, Italy. There the bell tower, or campanilecampanile
, Italian form of bell tower, constructed chiefly during the Middle Ages. Built in connection with a church or a town hall, it served as a belfry and watch tower and often functioned as a civic or commemorative monument.
..... Click the link for more information. , stood detached from the church building itself; another example is the celebrated bell tower at Pisa (1174). In English and French Romanesque churches a high tower rises over the crossing of nave and transepts, and the west end generally possesses lower twin towers. The relatively simple Romanesque towers generally had square or round shafts with many blind arcades in horizontal tiers and were topped by a simple octagonal or conical spire. They developed into the higher, elaborate type of Gothic, decorated with pinnacles and canopied niches. Towers of extreme lightness and intricacy were developed in the late Gothic period, as in the cathedrals at Rouen, Vienna, and Antwerp. With the Renaissance the classical orders were incorporated into tower design. Particular success was attained in the tapering pyramidal compositions of Sir Christopher Wren's numerous London towers, including those of St. Paul's Cathedral. English churches, e.g., St. Martin-in-the-Fields by James Gibbs, set the pattern for the typical New England church with the wooden tower and steeple rising directly over the entrance vestibule. In the 20th cent. towers have often taken the form of skyscrapers. Notable modern towers of varied design and function include the highly original Einstein Tower at Potsdam by Erich Mendelsohn and Frank Lloyd Wright's Johnson tower with glass tubing at Racine, Wis.

Tower

A tall structure designed for observation, communication, or defense. A bell tower is synonymous with the term “campanile”; church towers were used for hanging bells, hence the use of the term “belfry.”

Tower

originally towers were constructed for defense purposes (watchtowers, fortress towers, places of imprisonment, and so forth) and for signaling (lighthouses); later there developed towers for religious purposes (belfries, minarets), civic towers (town halls, often with a municipal clock), and engineering towers (water towers, radio and television towers, silos, and the like). Rising above the surrounding structures, expressive and dynamic in composition, towers often are the main dominating high motif of a group of buildings and a kind of city emblem. Outstanding models of towers include the Leaning Tower of Pisa (1174–1372; height, 56 m); the north tower of the Strasbourg Cathedral (1399–1439; height, 42 m); the Kremlin Tower in Moscow (15th—17th centuries); the Eiffel Tower in Paris, built as an emblem of 19th century technical achievements for the World’s Fair (1889; height c. 300 m; engineer, A. G. Eiffel); the steel radio tower designed by engineer V. G. Shukhov in Moscow (1921; height, 148 m); the reinforced concrete tower topped by a 51-meter steel structure in Stuttgart (1954–66; height, c. 160 m; architect, F. Leonhardt). Modern towers are constructed from steel, wood, reinforced concrete, stone (television towers, spaceport towers, radio towers, water towers, silos and so on). The structural element of the base of a steel or wooden tower usually is a spatial shaft frame; the section of the base can be circular, square, rectangular, triangular, or multiangular. The base of a tower built of reinforced concrete or stone (brick) in most cases has a round section.

Towers are subject basically to meteorological stress—wind, temperature, and freezing. Calculations used in constructing towers are based on general rules of construction mechanics; a static calculation to determine durability, stability, and the degree of deformation, as well as dynamic calculations, are carried out. The highest tower in the world is that of the All-Union Television Center in Moscow (1961–68). It has a height of 533 m and consists of two parts—reinforced concrete (up to the 385-meter mark) and metal (architects, D. I. Burdin, M. A. Shkud, L. N. Shchipakin; engineers, N. V. Nikitin, B. A. Zlobin; Lenin Prize, 1970).

What does it mean when you dream about a tower?

A tower may be a symbol of vigilance (a watch-tower) or a symbol of punishment and imprisonment (a guard tower). Scholarship and abstract ideas that seem to be isolated from everyday life are sometimes said to be the purview of someone who lives in an “ivory tower.” Similarly, the invitation to “come down from your tower” (ivory or otherwise) is an invitation to rejoin life. As in the fairy tale Rapunsel, perhaps the dreamer should “let her hair down” and become more accessible to others.

tower

[tau̇·ər] (chemical engineering) A vertical, cylindrical vessel used in chemical and petroleum processing to increase the degree of separation of liquid mixtures by distillation or extraction. Also known as column. (electromagnetism) A tall metal structure used as a transmitting antenna, or used with another such structure to support a transmitting antenna wire. (engineering) A concrete, metal, or timber structure that is relatively high for its length and width, and used for various purposes, including the support of electric power transmission lines, radio and television antennas, and rockets and missiles prior to launching. (mathematics) For a set S with a given algebraic structure, this is a set of subsets, S₀= S, S₁, S₂, … , S_n, such that S_{i +1}is a subset of S_i, i = 1, 2, … , n- 1, and each S_iis closed under all possible operations in the algebraic structure of S.

tower

A structure or building characterized by its relatively great height as compared with its horizontal dimensions; also see shot tower and torreón.

tower

1. a tall, usually square or circular structure, sometimes part of a larger building and usually built for a specific purpose 2. a mobile structure used in medieval warfare to attack a castle, etc.

tower

(1) A vertical computer cabinet. See tower case.

(2) A self-standing, vertical post that is designed to hold one or more antennas. Very often, the term refers to both the tower and antennas; for example, a cellular tower.

tower

tow·er

tower

tow•er

tower

Tower

tower

tower

tower

tower

tower

tower

live in an/(one's) ivory tower

an/(one's) ivory tower

tower over (someone or something)

tower above (someone or something)

tower of strength

in an/(one's) ivory tower

be in an/(one's) ivory tower

dwell in an/(one's) ivory tower

work in an/(one's) ivory tower

*in an ivory tower

tower above someone or something

tower head and shoulders above someone or something

tower of strength

tower over someone or something

ivory tower

tower of strength

an ivory tower

a tower of strength

a pillar of strength

a tower (or pillar) of strength

an ˌivory ˈtower

a ˌpillar/ˌtower of ˈstrength

tower above

ivory tower

ivory tower

tower of strength

tower

tower,

Tower

Tower

What does it mean when you dream about a tower?

tower

tower

tower

tower

TOWER

tower

Synonyms for tower

noun column

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noun stronghold

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verb rise

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Synonyms for tower

noun a structure taller than its diameter

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noun anything that approximates the shape of a column or tower

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noun a powerful small boat designed to pull or push larger ships

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verb appear very large or occupy a commanding position

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