/ ˌkæriˈætɪd; NAmE / noun
( architecture ) a statue of a female figure used as a supporting pillar in a building
••
WORD ORIGIN
mid 16th cent.: via French and Italian from Latin caryatides , from Greek karuatides , plural of karuatis priestess of Artemis at Caryae, from Karuai (Caryae) in Laconia (a modern department and ancient region of Greece).