an upright shaft or structure, of stone, brick, or other material, relatively slender in proportion to its height, and of any shape in section, used as a building support, or standing alone, as for a monument: Gothic pillars; a pillar to commemorate Columbus.
a natural formation resembling such a construction: a pillar of rock; a pillar of smoke.
any upright, supporting part; post: the pillar of a table.
a person who is a chief supporter of a society, state, institution, etc.: a pillar of the community.
any of several short parts for spacing and keeping in the proper relative positions two plates holding the bearings of a watch or clock movement.
an isolated mass of rock or ore in a mine, usually serving as a roof support in early operations and later removed, wholly or in part.
mast (def. 2).
aimlessly from place to place.
uneasily from one bad situation or predicament to another.