a pillar of rock; a pillar of smoke. any upright, supporting part; post: the pillar of a table. a person who is a chief supporter of a society, state, institution, etc.: a pillar of the community. a basis or support: The government regards agriculture and trade as fundamental pillars...
a pillar of smoke/rock Oxford Collocations Dictionary pillar of something a strong supporter of something; an important member of something He was a pillar of the Church. a pillar of society He was the local magistrate and a pillar of the community. pillar of something a person who ...
Column is a synonym of pillar. In architecture terms the difference between pillar and column is that pillar is a large post, often used as supporting architecture while column is a solid upright structure designed usually to support a larger structure above it, such as a roof or horizontal be...