| 释义 |
pil·lar
I. \ˈpilə(r)\ noun
(-s)
Etymology: Middle English piler, piller, from Old French piler, from Medieval Latin pilare, from Latin pila pillar, pier
1.
a. : a firm upright support for a superstructure : post
b. : a column or shaft standing alone especially for a monument
2. : a natural pillar-shaped formation or mass
< to follow in the wake of another vehicle … was to move in a pillar of dust — Rose Macaulay >
< little pillars of sand rose here and there — Norman Douglas >
3. : one that is a mainstay : a chief supporter : prop
< a rough-hewn pillar of the … Church — Ben Riker >
< the middlemen, … the pillars of society, the cornerstone of convention — Roy Lewis & Angus Maude >
4. : any of various vertical supporting members: as
a. : the central support of a table : pedestal
b. : bedpost
c. : stanchion
d. : the vertical hollow post of a harp frame — see harp illustration
5. : something regarded as a chief support : a fundamental fact, idea, principle, or practice
< science and criticism had eaten away the pillars of superstition and unreasoning faith — W.P.Webb >
< there are five compulsory practices, or pillars of Islam — A.C.Bouquet >
6. : any of the brass posts between the two plates of a watch or clock movement that serve to keep the plates in their proper positions
7. : a solid mass of coal, rock, or ore left standing to support the roof
8. : the center of the volt, ring, or manege ground around which a horse turns
9. : a body part likened to a pillar or column (as the columella of a snail shell or the margin of the external abdominal ring); specifically : pillar of the fauces
10. : a mailbox shaped like a pillar
11. : a frame on which clay pipes rest while being baked in a kiln
•
- from pillar to post
II. verb
(-ed/-ing/-s)
transitive verb
1. : to support or strengthen with or as if with a pillar
2. : to embody in or represent in the form of a pillar
intransitive verb
: to be supported by pillars |