banister
16
2.7
- noun
- /ˈbænɪstər/
- With my hand running down the smooth banister for the last time, I walked down the stairs.
Examples
-
His hand was on the banister as if he wanted to come up.
Fiction book (1991) -
One of my granddaughters dared me to slide down the banister.
-
May I slide down the banister?
-
One hand shot out and seized the wooden banister before she fell down the stairs.
Fiction book (1992) -
Too weak from fear to stand, he clutched at the banister and pulled himself up step by step.
Fiction book (1991) -
Her eyes were glossed over, and she was hanging on to the banister in order to keep her balance.
Fiction book (1998) -
Annie leaned over the banister and watched Ziv go down the stairs.
Fiction book (1996) -
Anya notices and runs her hand along the carved butterflies in the worn banister.
Fiction book (1997) -
She held onto the banister while carefully walking down the steep staircase.
-
The banister on the balcony provided safety for the children playing nearby.
Synonyms
61
1.6
A row of bars and posts along an edge, like on stairs or balconies, to stop people from falling
14
3.4
A strong railing at the edge of places like roads and bridges that stops people or vehicles from falling
10
1.8
A bar fixed beside stairs or a balcony that you hold for support
3
8.1
A railing with short vertical posts along a staircase or balcony to stop people falling
3
3.4
A handrail at the side of stairs that people hold for support
2
2.3
A strong bar along stairs or platforms that stops people from falling
1
2.9
A rail you hold for support on stairs or ramps
How Supportive
Surface Forms
Etymology
Banister comes from the old word baluster, which named the short posts that hold up a railing and which originally came from a word for the 'pomegranate flower' because the posts looked a little like the blossom. So a banister is the railing made of those posts that helps keep people from falling.