bolster

Definitions

1. 1.A pad, quilt, or anything used to hinder pressure, support any part of the body, or make a bandage sit easy upon a wounded part; a compress. This arm shall be a bolster for thy head. Gay.
2. 2.Anything arranged to act as a support, as in various forms of mechanism, etc.
3. 3.(Saddlery) A cushioned or a piece part of a saddle.
4. 4.(Naut.) (a) A cushioned or a piece of soft wood covered with tarred canvas, placed on the trestletrees and against the mast, for the collars of the shrouds to rest on, to prevent chafing. (b) Anything used to prevent chafing.
5. 5.A plate of iron or a mass of wood under the end of a bridge girder, to keep the girder from resting directly on the abutment.
6. 6.A transverse bar above the axle of a wagon, on which the bed or body rests.
7. 7.The crossbeam forming the bearing piece of the body of a railway car; the central and principal cross beam of a car truck.
8. 8.(Mech.) the perforated plate in a punching machine on which anything rests when being punched.
9. 9.(Cutlery) (a) That part of a knife blade which abuts upon the end of the handle. (b) The metallic end of a pocketknife handle. G. Francis.
10. 10.(Arch.) The rolls forming the ends or sides of the Ionic capital. G. Francis.
11. 11.(Mil.) A block of wood on the carriage of a siege gun, upon which the breech of the gun rests when arranged for transportation. Note: [See Illust. of Gun carriage.] Bolster work (Arch.), members which are bellied or curved outward like cushions, as in friezes of certain classical styles.
12. 12.To support with a bolster or pillow. S. Sharp.
13. 13.To support, hold up, or maintain with difficulty or unusual effort; -- often with up. To bolster baseness. Drayton. Shoddy inventions designed to bolster up a factitious pride. Compton Reade.

Source: Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).

Related questions

• What does "bolster" mean?

Reverse-dictionary questions

Definition-first questions whose answer is bolster.

• What is a pad, quilt, or anything used to hinder pressure, support any part of the body, or make a bandage sit easy upon a wounded part; a compress. This arm shall be a bolster for thy head. Gay called?
• What is anything arranged to act as a support, as in various forms of mechanism, etc called?
• What is a cushioned or a piece part of a saddle called?
• What is a plate of iron or a mass of wood under the end of a bridge girder, to keep the girder from resting directly on the abutment called?
• What is a transverse bar above the axle of a wagon, on which the bed or body rests called?
• What is the crossbeam forming the bearing piece of the body of a railway car; the central and principal cross beam of a car truck called?
• What is the perforated plate in a punching machine on which anything rests when being punched called?
• What is (a) That part of a knife blade which abuts upon the end of the handle. (b) The metallic end of a pocketknife handle. G. Francis called?
• What is the rolls forming the ends or sides of the Ionic capital. G. Francis called?
• What is to support with a bolster or pillow. S. Sharp called?
• What is to support, hold up, or maintain with difficulty or unusual effort; -- often with up. To bolster baseness. Drayton. Shoddy inventions designed to bolster up a factitious pride. Compton Reade called?