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baluster

/ˈbaləstə/ noun

Latin root: balaustium Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about baluster at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

  1. One of a number of closely spaced supports for a railing.

Origin

Borrowed from Middle French balustre, from Italian balaustro (“pillar”), from balausta, balaustio (“wild pomegranate flower”), from Latin balaustium, from Ancient Greek βαλαύστιον (balaústion), from Semitic (compare Classical Syriac ܒܠܳܨܳܐ (blāṣā, “pomegranate shoot”)). Doublet of banister.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)