Pedestal

//ˈpɛdɪstəl// noun, verb

noun, verb ·Moderate ·High school level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    The base or foot of a column, statue, vase, lamp.
  2. 2
    a support or foundation wordnet
  3. 3
    A place of reverence or honor. figuratively

    "He has put his mother on a pedestal. You can't say a word against her."

  4. 4
    an architectural support or base (as for a column or statue) wordnet
  5. 5
    A casting secured to the frame of a truck of a railcar and forming a jaw for holding a journal box.
Show 9 more definitions
  1. 6
    a position of great esteem (and supposed superiority) wordnet
  2. 7
    A pillow block; a low housing.
  3. 8
    An iron socket, or support, for the foot of a brace at the end of a truss where it rests on a pier.
  4. 9
    a pedestal coil, group of connected straight pipes arranged side by side and one above another, used in a radiator.
  5. 10
    A ground-level housing for a passive connection point for underground cables.
  6. 11
    The measured value when no input signal is given.
  7. 12
    The central part of the cockpit, between the pilots, where various controls are located.
  8. 13
    An item upon which television cameras are mounted.
  9. 14
    The tough protuberant pad covering a dromedary's sternum, which, when the camel lies down, causes the abdomen to be slightly above the hot ground.
Verb
  1. 1
    To set or support on (or as if on) a pedestal.

Example

More examples

"A bust of Aristotle stands on a pedestal in the entryway."

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French piédestal, itself borrowed from Italian piedistallo (literally “foot stand”). Spelling influenced by Latin pēs, pedem.

Related phrases

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.