释义 |
ped·es·tal I. \ˈpedə̇stəl\ noun (-s) Usage: often attributive Etymology: Middle French piedestal, from Old Italian piedestallo, from pie di stallo foot of a stall 1. a. : the support or foot of a late classic or neoclassic column consisting of base, dado, and surbase moldings b. : the base of an upright structure (as a statue, vase, lamp, harp) < a pedestal worthy of a storyteller's statue — Van Wyck Brooks > c. : a supporting part (as of a table or kneehole desk) d. : pivot stand e. : a cone or column of ice that supports or has supported a boulder or block of rock : pedestal rock 2. a. : the supporting base or foundation of something intangible < pedigree was the pedestal of the British constitution — Wilfrid Lawson > b. : an elevated plane : position of esteem < places him … on a pedestal — E.V.Buckholder > < shown off his pedestal … as the members of his family group saw him — Dorothy C. Fisher > 3. a. : a guide in the frame or truck of a car or locomotive that slides against the sides of the journal box and holds it in place as the body rides on the springs b. Britain : an axle guard of a railroad car 4. a. : a separate bearing or pillow block; also : a housing for a bearing or pillow block b. : a metal support that carries one end of a bridge truss or girder and transmits the load it receives to the top of a pier or abutment 5. : the strength of the television signal on which the synchronizing signal is superimposed corresponding to black or slightly blacker than black in the picture II. transitive verb (pedestaled or pedestalled ; pedestaled or pedestalled ; pedestaling or pedestalling ; pedestals) 1. : to place on or furnish with a pedestal < the pride of the … collections stands pedestalled in an alcove — Aldous Huxley > 2. : to elevate in position : exalt < desired not to be … pedestalled, but to sink into the crowd — John Buchan > |