Bolster definition
An example of to bolster is lift someone’s spirits with a good speech.
Visitors bolstered the patient's morale.
An example of a bolster is a cross beam in a ceiling.
An example of a bolster is the cylinder shaped pillow that runs along the back of a couch.
- A capping piece over a post to extend the bearing area under a beam.
- The connecting part between the volutes of an Ionic capital.
An example of to bolster is to add another piece of wood to strengthen a bird house.
Origin of bolster
- Middle English from Old English bhelgh- in Indo-European roots
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
- From Middle English bolstre, from Old English bolster (“bolster, cushion”), from Proto-Germanic *bulstraz, *bulstrą (“bolster”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰelǵʰ- (“bag, pillow, paunch”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰel- (“to swell, blow, inflate, burst”). Cognate with Scots bowster (“bolster”), West Frisian bulster (“mattress”), Dutch bolster (“husk, shell”), German Polster (“bolster, pillow, pad”), Swedish bolster (“soft mattress, bolster”), Icelandic bólstur (“pillow”).
From Wiktionary