an upright shaft or structure, of stone, brick, or other material, relatively slender in proportion to its height, and of any shape in section, used as a building support, or standing alone, as for a monument: Gothic pillars; a pillar to commemorate Columbus.
2.
a natural formation resembling such a construction: a pillar of rock; a pillar of smoke.
3.
any upright, supporting part; post: the pillar of a table.
4.
a person who is a chief supporter of a society, state, institution, etc.: a pillar of the community.
5.
Horology. any of several short parts for spacing and keeping in the proper relative positions two plates holding the bearings of a watch or clock movement.
6.
Mining. an isolated mass of rock or ore in a mine, usually serving as a roof support in early operations and later removed, wholly or in part.
c.1225, from O.Fr. piler, from M.L. pilare, from L. pila "pillar, stone barrier." Fig. sense of "prop or support of an institution or community" is first recorded c.1325. Phrase pillar to post is c.1600, originally of tennis, exact meaning obscure.
a fundamental principle or practice; "science eroded the pillars of superstition"
2.
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" [syn: column]
3.
a prominent supporter; "he is a pillar of the community"
4.
a vertical cylindrical structure standing alone and not supporting anything (such as a monument) [syn: column]
5.
(architecture) a tall vertical cylindrical structure standing upright and used to support a structure [syn: column]
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. "You are a well-deserving pillar." --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.
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).
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