pylon
pylon Lexical Profile
pylon Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A tall, tower-like structure of steel or concrete used to support high-voltage overhead electric power lines or the cables of a suspension bridge.
"Rows of steel pylons carried high-voltage electricity across the open countryside."
North American A brightly colored, cone-shaped plastic or rubber marker placed on roads, sidewalks, or athletic fields to guide traffic, mark boundaries, or warn of hazards.
"The driving instructor set up orange pylons in the parking lot so students could practice parallel parking."
A monumental gateway to an ancient Egyptian temple, consisting of two massive, tapering rectangular towers flanking a central entrance.
"The archaeologists photographed the intricate reliefs carved into the stone pylon of the temple at Luxor."
A structural bracket or pod under the wing or fuselage of an aircraft used for mounting engines, fuel tanks, or external equipment.
"Engineers inspected the wing pylon that secures the jet engine to the underside of the airliner."
Word Nuance & Usage
In British English, 'pylon' most commonly refers to a tall steel tower supporting overhead high-voltage power lines, whereas in North American English it frequently refers to a brightly colored plastic traffic cone.
• Rhymes for pylon
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the early 19th century from Ancient Greek 'pylōn' (gateway, gatehouse), an augmentative form of 'pylē' (gate, entrance), originally used to describe the monumental gateways of ancient Egyptian temples.