Image: Wikimedia Commons

column

Structural element sustaining the weight of a building

EntityQ4817

Also known as Y-column · Y-shaped column · structural column · column drum · architectural column · pillar

Subclass of: built structure
, architectural element
Part of: colonnade
, building

Overview

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · Read full article · Text CC BY-SA 4.0

A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member. The term column applies especially to a large round support with a capital and a base or pedestal, which is made of stone, or appearing to be so. A small wooden or metal support is typically called a post. Supports with a rectangular or other non-round section are usually called piers. Throughout architectural history, especially in Classical and Rennaisance styles, the column has been central to building design.

Overview

All data

66 statements · 17% with external sources · numbers in brackets are citations

Members / parts: column base
shaft
capital
Different from: Column
memorial column
Has characteristic: shape
Name in kana: はしら revised hepburn romanization: Hashira
2
Sources
1.Stated in The Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)
2.Stated in Kenkyūsha’s New Japanese-English Dictionary
View statement on Wikidata ↗
Connects with: soban applies to part: lower part
OpenStreetMap tag: man_made=column

On other databases

48 identifiers linking column across the web's reference databases

Data quality

statements

17%

externally sourced

Source last edited August 21, 2026. AIDB refreshes this page daily.

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AIDB. (2026). column (Q4817). Retrieved from https://aidb.si/e/column-Q4817