ˈbaləstə(r) noun
( -s )
Etymology: French balustre, from Italian balaustro, from balaustra flower of the wild pomegranate, modification of Latin balaustium, from Greek balaustion; from the similarity of form
1. : a short support like a column often with a circular section and a molded vaselike outline ; especially : one of a series (as in a balustrade or stair rail)
2. : a vertical member (as the leg of a table, a round in the back of a chair, the stem of a glass, the shaft of a candlestick) having a vaselike or turned outline