plinth
/plɪnθ
/noun
1A heavy base supporting a statue or vase: busts of the King and Queen on marble plinths...
- The plinth for the statue will be some two feet higher than originally planned in the interests of health and safety and to prevent vandalism.
- I was horrified when I got up to find the statue missing from its plinth.
- London's city council recently announced a competition among sculptors to top the empty plinth with a statue.
1.1 Architecture The lower square slab at the base of a column.Finally, in 1838, the architect Alessandro Della Gherardesca dug a walkway called the catino around the base of the tower to expose the buried foundation steps and column plinths....
- From the malleable scrapings Antonin fashioned plinths, column tops and pedestals.
- The original Mosque has undergone extensive repairs, but traces of the original construction are seen in the plinth, the columns and the roof which are in the old traditional styles of Hindu temples.
1.2 Architecture The base course of a building, or projecting base of a wall.Isolated from the main house further inland, it stands on a stone plinth set into the tidal waters of the River Ilen, near Skibbereen in County Cork....
- And when the tall glass doors slide open, the black concrete floor flows out to a continuous 6-foot-deep terrace, a concrete plinth that holds the house.
- The enormous plinth on which the museum stands responds to a considerable fall-off in grade across the site.
Origin
Late 16th century: from Latin plinthus, from Greek plinthos 'tile, brick, squared stone'. The Latin form was in early use in English.