PEDESTAL

base, pedestal, stand

(noun) a support or foundation; “the base of the lamp”

pedestal, plinth, footstall

(noun) an architectural support or base (as for a column or statue)

pedestal

(noun) a position of great esteem (and supposed superiority); “they put him on a pedestal”

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Noun

pedestal (plural pedestals)

(architecture) The base or foot of a column, statue, vase, lamp.

(figuratively) A place of reverence or honor.

(rail transport) A casting secured to the frame of a truck of a railcar and forming a jaw for holding a journal box.

(machining) A pillow block; a low housing.

(bridge building) An iron socket, or support, for the foot of a brace at the end of a truss where it rests on a pier.

(steam heating) a pedestal coil, group of connected straight pipes arranged side by side and one above another, used in a radiator.

Verb

pedestal (third-person singular simple present pedestals, present participle pedestaling, simple past and past participle pedestaled)

To set or support on (or as if on) a pedestal.

Anagrams

• depetals, pleadest, step deal, telepads

Source: Wiktionary


Ped"es*tal, n. Etym: [Sp. pedestal; cf. F. piédestal, It. piedestallo; fr. L. es, pedis, foot + OHG. stal standing place, station, place, akin to E. stall. See Foot, and Stall, and Footstall.]

1. (Arch.)

Definition: The base or foot of a column, statue, vase, lamp, or the like; the part on which an upright work stands. It consists of three parts, the base, the die or dado, and the cornice or surbase molding. See Illust. of Column. Build him a pedestal, and say, "Stand there!" Cowper.

2. (a) (Railroad Cars) A casting secured to the frame of a truck and forming a jaw for holding a journal box. (b) (Mach.) A pillow block; a low housing. (c) (Bridge Building) An iron socket, or support, for the foot of a brace at the end of a truss where it rests on a pier. Pedestal coil (steam Heating), a group of connected straight pipes arranged side by side and one above another, -- used in a radiator.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



RESET




Word of the Day

8 November 2024

REPLACEMENT

(noun) the act of furnishing an equivalent person or thing in the place of another; “replacing the star will not be easy”


coffee icon

Coffee Trivia

The Boston Tea Party helped popularize coffee in America. The hefty tea tax imposed on the colonies in 1773 resulted in America switching from tea to coffee. In the lead up to the Revolutionary War, it became patriotic to sip java instead of tea. The Civil War made the drink more pervasive. Coffee helped energize tired troops, and drinking it became an expression of freedom.

coffee icon