pilaster
Other forms: pilasters
In architecture, a pilaster is a feature that looks like a supporting column but is actually part of the wall itself. While most columns and pillars hold up a roof, pilasters are just ornamental.
The word pilaster comes from Latin roots, pila, or "pillar," and the suffix -aster, "expressing incomplete resemblance." In other words, a pilaster looks almost — but not quite — like a pillar. You can think of these architectural features as decorative columns that protrude slightly from a wall, often framing a doorway or window. If you get the chance to stroll around Paris, you're likely to see pilasters decorating the facades of many 19th-century buildings.
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a rectangular column that usually projects about a third of its width from the wall to which it is attached
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Vocabulary lists containing pilaster
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