one of a series of short vertical posts that support a rail and form a balustrade, often forming the roofline of a building as well as the border of a staircase or porch
A type of English drinking glass of the late 17th and 18th centuries, with the stem in the form of a baluster (In architecture, a baluster is a short vertical support with a circular section and a vaselike outline )
[ 'ba-l&-st&r ] (noun.) 1602. French balustre, from Italian balaustro, from balaustra wild pomegranate flower, from Latin balaustium, from Greek balaustion; from its shape.