Hypertext Webster Gateway: "pedestal"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Pedestal \Ped"es*tal\, n. [Sp. pedestal; cf. F. pi['e]destal,
It. piedestallo; fr. L. es, pedis, foot + OHG. stal standing
place, station, place, akin to E. stall. See {Foot}, and
{Stall}, and {Footstall}.]
1. (Arch.) The base or foot of a column, statue, vase, lamp,
or the like; the part on which an upright work stands. It
consists of three parts, the base, the die or dado, and
the cornice or surbase molding. See Illust. of {Column}.
Build him a pedestal, and say, ``Stand there!''
--Cowper.
2.
(a) (Railroad Cars) A casting secured to the frame of a
truck and forming a jaw for holding a journal box.
(b) (Mach.) A pillow block; a low housing.
(c) (Bridge Building) An iron socket, or support, for the
foot of a brace at the end of a truss where it rests
on a pier.
{Pedestal coil} (steam Heating), a group of connected
straight pipes arranged side by side and one above
another, -- used in a radiator.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
pedestal
n 1: a support or foundation; "the base of the lamp" [syn: {base},
{stand}]
2: a position of great esteem (and supposed superiority); "they
put him on a pedestal"
3: an architectural support or base (as for a column or statue)
[syn: {plinth}, {footstall}]
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