Make Your Point > Archived Issues > PILLAR

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connect this word to others: The word pillar joins our list of architectural metaphors, like capstone, keystone, bastion, and buttress. If you'd like to review any, give them a click. Now, what's hokier than the Hokey Pokey and harder to get out of your head? It's Ray Stevens's song "Shriner's Convention," in which the members of the Shrine see themselves as pillars of the community, as staunch models of charm, civility, and southern hospitality. Except for Coy: "Well Coy, how'd you get that big motor sickle up there on the high dive? Now Coy, dad blame it, that ain't no way to act. We supposed to be pillars of the community. When we get back to Hayhira, you can just turn in your ring and your tie tack, 'cause Coy, you are out of the Shrine!" It's no wonder that the Shriner chewing out Coy goes by the code name "The Illu___ious (famed, sparkling, glorious) Potentate." Can you recall that grand-sounding adjective? (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) make your point with... "PILLAR" This word, and its meaning, come straight from Latin. (Thanks for the image, Wikipedia!) A pillar is a tall post or column that's used for support, decoration, or both. So, figuratively speaking, pillars are people or things that remind you of strong, sturdy, handsome columns because they provide the basis for something, or because they give strong, stable support to something. Pronunciation: PILL er Part of speech: Noun, the countable kind: "he's a pillar of this society," "she's a pillar of strength in our family," "these companies are the pillars of our local economy." Other forms worth knowing: pillars, pillar-like, pillarless, pillared ("having pillars, either literally or figuratively") How to use it:  As positive as this word is, it can sound cheesy. So, pick it when you're not afraid to compare some group, company, society, industry, world, concept, or system of belief to a grand, sturdy, long-standing building (or edifice). When we refer to people or things as pillars, we often talk about small groups of them at a time: "the three nations were once the pillars of the modern world," "those churches are the pillars of this community." This metaphor is common in the world of business, maybe a little too common. But if you've got your mind set on creating a diagram in PowerPoint about the pillars of your success in the industry, I won't stop you. examples: "The usual bypasser is a woman sauntering slowly down the road with bundles upon bundles balanced on her head. These women are pillars of wonder, defying gravity while wearing the ho-hum aspect of perfect tedium."    — Barbara Kingsolver, The Poisonwood Bible, 2008 "Magic, technology and money are the pillars of a brutally hierarchical city called Tevanne, the setting of this cyberpunk adventure."    — Maria Russo, New York Times, 20 September 2019 has this page helped you understand "pillar"? Awesome, I'm glad it helped! Thanks for letting me know! If you have any questions about this word, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. study it: Explain the meaning of "pillar" without saying "backbone" or "mainstay." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "(Someone) lays out the pillars of (some huge thing): _____, _____, and _____." Example: "Before attempting to smash them, David Gross lays out the pillars of taxpayer compliance: that taxpaying is normal, that tax money is spent wisely, and that tax dodgers will always be punished." If you like, use this space to write. (To save your work, copy and paste it into an email or a document.) before you review, play: Spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—let your working memory empty out first. Our game this month: Anagrams! Rearrange the letters in the given word to form a word we've studied before. Try to recall its meaning, too.  For example, if I give you DYED, you give me EDDY. If I give you THREAD, you give me DEARTH. And if I give you COTERIES, you give me ESOTERIC. Try this one today: IDOLATRY. Give yourself 5 points if you can figure out the word without clues. To reveal the clues, hover over the blue text below. Give yourself 4 points if you figure it out after peeking at the part of speech: Adjective. Give yourself 3 points if you figure it out after peeking at the definition: delaying things, making them take too long, either on purpose (often to gain time before doing something), or just out of laziness or slowness. Give yourself 2 points if you figure it out after peeking at the first letter: D. Give yourself 1 point if you figure it out after peeking at the first two letters: DI. And if you'd like to reveal or review the word, click here. review this word: 1. A near opposite of PILLARED is A. FLIMSY. B. BEAUTIFUL. C. DEPENDENT. 2. As we watch designers on HGTV sketch out their plans for interior pillars, Chad jokes, "Is that _____?" A. a load-bearing piano B. a chandelier with Bluetooth C. a pergola made of ship-lap and rustic letter signs 1. A 2. A a final word: I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From my blog:    36 ways to study words.    Why we forget words, & how to remember them.    How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.