banister
- 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
A strong railing at the edge of places like roads and bridges that stops people or vehicles from falling
A row of bars and posts along an edge, like on stairs or balconies, to stop people from falling
A handrail at the side of stairs that people hold for support
A bar fixed beside stairs or a balcony that you hold for support
A railing with short vertical posts along a staircase or balcony to stop people falling
A rail you hold for support on stairs or ramps
A strong bar along stairs or platforms that stops people from falling
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.