banister

Example sentences

• "She held the banister as she walked down the steps."

  Level A2

• "The children slid down the banister."

  Level A2

• "The banister was made of dark wood."

  Level B1

• "Don't lean on the banister."

  Level B1

Synonyms and antonyms

Look-alikes and common mistakes

• handrail : Handrail is a general word for any rail you hold. A banister is the rail along stairs.
• baluster : A baluster is one of the posts under the rail. The banister includes them and the rail.

Word family and forms

Forms: banisters

Word partners

Words and phrases that often go with "banister".

• hold the banister
• slide down the banister
• a wooden banister
• the banister rail
• grab the banister
• polish the banister

Origin

Banister is an altered form of the older word baluster, the post under a rail, which was also spelled barrester and ballester. It was first recorded in the 1660s. The word may have been changed through a link with the word bar.

Checked against: Wiktionary, the free dictionary, Dictionary.com.

How to remember it

Banister has a bit of baluster in it. The posts that hold up the rail are balusters.

Test yourself

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