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''balustrade'' ▫ᴱᴺ｜Definition｜1st｜20260211112127-00-⌔

balustrade - Wiktionary, the free dictionary

English

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Noun

balustrade (plural balustrades)

  • A row of balusters topped by a rail, serving as an open parapet, as along the edge of a balcony, terrace, bridge, staircase, or the eaves of a building.
    • ✤ So on a pleasant morning, as he leant/Into the sun-rise, o’er the balustrade […]1
    • ✤ The Jester sat down on one of the marble balustrades and regarded Alvin with a curious intentness.2

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from French balustrade, from Italian balaustrata (“with balusters”), from balaustro (“baluster”), from balausta (“wild pomegranate flower”), via Latin balaustium, from Ancient Greek βαλαύστιον (balaústion), from Semitic, compare Classical Syriac ܒܠܳܨܳܐ (blāṣā, “pomegranate shoot”)). So named because of resemblance to the swelling form of the half-open pomegranate flower. Also see baluster.

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA: /ˌbæl.əˈstɹeɪd/
  • (US) IPA: /ˈbæl.ə.stɹeɪd/
  • Audio (US): 🔊
  • Audio (Australian): 🔊
  • Rhymes: -eɪd

Printed 2026-06-28.

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Footnotes

  1. 1820, John Keats, “Isabella; or, The Pot of Basil. A Story from Boccaccio.”, in Lamia, Isabella, the Eve of St. Agnes, and Other Poems, London: […] [Thomas Davison] for Taylor and Hessey, […], →OCLC, stanza XXIII, page 60: ↩

  2. 1956, Arthur C. Clarke, The City and the Stars, page 45: ↩

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