1. n. & v.
--n.
1. a long thick pillow.
2 a pad or support, esp. in a machine.
3 Building a short timber cap over a post to increase the bearing of the beams it supports.
--v.tr. (usu. foll. by up)
1. encourage, reinforce (bolstered our morale).
2 support with a bolster; prop up.
Derivatives:
bolsterer n.
Etymology: OE f. Gmc 2. n. a chisel for cutting bricks.
Etymology: 20th c.: orig. uncert.