Skip to content

pilastro

pillar

noun pee-LAHS-troh Rare

Origin: From Latin pilastrum, a variant of pila (pillar, pier).

Also means

cornerstone

Usage Note

Pilastro refers to a structural pillar or pier, as distinct from colonna (a round column). Figuratively it means a cornerstone or mainstay: il pilastro della famiglia (the pillar of the family). The plural is pilastri.

Examples

"Il tetto è sorretto da quattro pilastri in pietra."

Natural Translation

The roof is supported by four stone pillars.

Free starter pack

Building your Italian vocabulary?

Get the 100 most common Italian words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.

Explore Italian by topic