The internet today is a veritable treasure trove of interesting facts and tid-bits (although largely unverified!!), about even the most miniscule of everyday things. After looking up the internet to find out about the first staircase built by man, today I started looking for the origin of the word baluster. What I came up with was interesting and fascinating at the same time.
The origin of the word "baluster" can be traced back to four different languages and cultures and probably times as well:
- French - balustre
- Italian - balaustro
- Latin - balaustium
- Greek - balaustion
This information has largely been collected from wikipedia, the researchers' favourite, but what really struck me was the fact that these are four different languages spread over different geographical areas, and yet they have very similar sounding names for the same thing. Maybe the origin of the word baluster lies in an even older language, which formed the origin of these languages!!
If anybody has more knowledge about the origin of the word baluster, please feel free to send in your comments.
Also, the balusters of a staircase are typically called banisters or bannisters, which in turn may also refer to the handrail of the staircase. However banisters are usually thinner than the balusters. And if the balusters are placed together to form a railing, it is called a balustrade.
DC
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