pillar, freestanding columnar supporting member. It is a general term, little used as an exact architectural definition except as applied to an upright support in the medieval styles, consisting of an assemblage of juxtaposed shafts and moldings; unlike the column, it does not adhere to the rules of the orders of architecture.

Relatively slender isolated vertical structural member such as a pier or (usually squat) column. It may be constructed of a single piece of stone or wood or built up of units, such as bricks. A pillar commonly has a load-bearing or stabilizing function, but it may also stand alone, as do commemorative pillars.

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A pillar is similar to a column which is a vertical support structure in architecture, but the base section is any shape but circular.

Pillar may also refer to:

• Pillar (band), a Christian rock band
• Pillar (car), the windshield support structure on a car
• Pillar (Lake District), a mountain in the English Lake District
• Paul R. Pillar, retired CIA National Intelligence Officer
• City Pillars, South African football (soccer) club
• Pillar System, a system of government in fictional manga
• Pillar Data Systems, a company making enterprise storage systems
• Pillar box, a free-standing post box in the United Kingdom
• Pillarisation, a term describing the dealings of the Dutch and Belgians in their multicultural societies
• Seven Pillars of Wisdom, the autobiographical account of the experiences of T. E. Lawrence

See also

The following disambiguation pages:

• Pilar
• Pillar of Fire
• Three pillars
• Four Pillars
• Five Pillars