plinth

/plɪnθ/

/plɪnθ/

Other forms: plinths

If a building has columns, you can call the platform or base on which a column rests a plinth. The plinth typically lies between the column and the ground.

In architecture, a plinth is one of the basic building elements. While it's most common for a plinth to support a pillar or column, it can also be used as a base or slab underneath a statue, a bust, or a decorative vase, and in engineering a plinth is the support for a dam. The word comes from the Greek root plinthos, "brick" or "squared stone."

Definitions of plinth

1. noun

   an architectural support or base (as for a column or statue)
   synonyms: footstall, pedestal

   types:

   socle

   a plain plinth that supports a wall

   type of:

   support

   supporting structure that holds up or provides a foundation