bolster

[bohl-ster] /ˈboʊl stər/

noun

a long, often cylindrical, cushion or pillow for a bed, sofa, etc.

anything resembling this in form or in use as a support.

any pillow, cushion, or pad.

Nautical.

Also called bolster plate. a circular casting on the side of a vessel, through which an anchor chain passes.
a timber used as a temporary support.
a beam for holding lines or rigging without chafing.
a bag filled with buoyant material, fitted into a small boat.

Metalworking. an anvillike support for the lower die of a drop forge.

Masonry.

a timber or the like connecting two ribs of a centering.
a chisel with a blade splayed toward the edge, used for cutting bricks.

Carpentry. a horizontal timber on a post for lessening the free span of a beam.

a structural member on which one end of a bridge truss rests.

verb (used with object)

to support with or as with a pillow or cushion.

10.

to add to, support, or uphold (sometimes followed by up):

They bolstered their morale by singing. He bolstered up his claim with new evidence.

Origin

before 1000; Middle English bolstre (noun), Old English bolster; cognate with Old Norse bolstr, Dutch bolster, German Polster

Related forms

bolsterer, noun

unbolster, verb (used with object)

unbolstered, adjective

Synonyms

1. See cushion. 10. strengthen, sustain, aid, reinforce, fortify.

Examples from the web for bolster

In science, one should always be extremely skeptical of claims which bolster the ideology of the person making the claim.
New numbers bolster the claim that records became a lot more popular last year.
Only a few handfuls got quickly added to bolster the numbers.
He pledged to remodel stores, improve customer service and bolster inventory.
He actually accused me of lying to bolster a law suit.
The Alabama college had hoped that its move to less-costly ranks would erase its financial problems and bolster enrollment.
Tyco plans plant closings to bolster its shares .
This new study seems to bolster that view.
Democrats weigh options to bolster stem cell research.
Not incidentally, it will also bolster her chances of ascending to greater power.

British Dictionary definitions for bolster

bolster

/ˈbəʊlstə/

verb (transitive)

(often foll by up) to support or reinforce; strengthen: to bolster morale

to prop up with a pillow or cushion

to add padding to: to bolster a dress

noun

a long narrow pillow or cushion

any pad or padded support

(architect) a short horizontal length of timber fixed to the top of a post to increase the bearing area and reduce the span of the supported beam

a cold chisel having a broad blade splayed towards the cutting edge, used for cutting stone slabs, etc

Derived Forms

bolsterer, noun
bolstering, noun, adjective

Word Origin

Old English bolster; related to Old Norse bolstr, Old High German bolstar, Dutch bulster

Word Origin and History for bolster

Old English bolster "bolster, cushion, something stuffed so that it swells up," especially "long, stuffed pillow," from Proto-Germanic *bolkhstraz (cf. Old Norse bolstr, Danish, Swedish, Dutch bolster, German polster), from PIE *bhelgh- "to swell" (see belly (n.)).

mid-15c. (implied in bolstered), "propped up, made to bulge" (originally of a woman's breasts), from bolster (n.). Figurative sense is from c.1500, on the notion of "to support with a bolster, prop up." Related: Bolstering.

bolster in the Bible

The Hebrew word _kebir_, rendered "pillow" in 1 Sam. 19:13, 16, but in Revised Version marg. "quilt" or "network," probably means some counterpane or veil intended to protect the head of the sleeper. A different Hebrew word (meraashoth') is used for "bolster" (1 Sam. 26:7, 11, 16). It is rightly rendered in Revised Version "at his head." In Gen. 28:11, 18 the Authorized Version renders it "for his pillows," and the Revised Version "under his head." In Ezek. 13:18, 20 another Hebrew word (kesathoth) is used, properly denoting "cushions" or "pillows," as so rendered both in the Authorized and the Revised Version.