pedestal

n. [ Sp. pedestal; cf. F. piédestal, It. piedestallo; fr. L. es, pedis, foot + OHG. stal standing place, station, place, akin to E. stall. See Foot, and Stall, and Footstall. ] 1. (Arch.) The base or foot of a column, statue, vase, lamp, or the like; the part on which an upright work stands. It consists of three parts, the base, the die or dado, and the cornice or surbase molding. See Illust. of Column. [ 1913 Webster ]

Build him a pedestal, and say, “Stand there!” Cowper. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Hence: A short free-standing column or column-like object designed to support a work of art or other object; a column serving the same function as the base of a statue. It may be made of wood, marble, or other suitable material. [ PJC ]

3. (Furniture) A part of a desk which contains a frame and drawers, stands on the floor, and provides support for the desk surface. There may be zero, one, or two such pedestals in a desk. [ PJC ]

4. (a) (Railroad Cars) A casting secured to the frame of a truck and forming a jaw for holding a journal box. (b) (Mach.) A pillow block; a low housing. (c) (Bridge Building) An iron socket, or support, for the foot of a brace at the end of a truss where it rests on a pier. [ 1913 Webster ]

Pedestal coil (steam Heating), a group of connected straight pipes arranged side by side and one above another, -- used in a radiator. [ 1913 Webster ]