balustrad-, balust-, balaust- +

(Greek balaustion > Latin balaustium: supporting post of a railing on a balcony, staircase, etc. Borrowed from Italian balaustro, from balaustra; so called because of the resemblance of a baluster to the double-curving calyx tube of the "wild pomegranate flower".)

baluster (s), balusters (pl)
1. One of the upright, usually rounded or vase-shaped supports of a balustrade or a railing at the side of a staircase or balcony to prevent people from falling.
2. An upright support, such as a furniture leg, having a similar shape of the vase-shaped support.
3. One of the supporting posts of a handrail. 3. A row of balusters,joined by a rail, serving as a fence or enclosure, for altars, balconies, stair-cases, terraces. tops of buildings, etc.

Balusters may be formed in several ways; for example, wood and stone can be shaped with the lathe, while concrete, plaster, iron, and plastics are usually formed with moldings and castings. The turned patterns, or old "shaped" examples, are used to make the molds.

baluster measure
An antique liquid measure usually made of pewter, having a concave top on a convex base.
baluster stem
The stem of a drinking glass, or something similar, having a gradual swelling near the top or bottom.
balustered
Having balusters or any of the various symmetrical supports; such as, furniture legs or spindles, tending to swell toward the bottoms or the tops.
baluster-shaft, baluster shavt
A molded shaft, square, or circular, in stone or wood and sometimes in metal; standing on a unifying footing and supporting the coping of a parapet or the handrail of a staircase.

A baluster shaft may describe the turned form taken by a brass or silver candlestick, an upright furniture support, or the stem of a brass chandelier, etc.

balustrade (s) (noun), balustrades (pl)
1. A decorative railing together with its supporting balusters, often used at the front of a parapet or gallery.
2. A rail, usually about three feet high, supported by a series of posts (balusters), generally as along the outside edge of a stairway or gallery.

A gallery sometimes refers to a hallway or a covered walkway which has a wall on one side and windows, columns, or a balustrade on the other side.

3. An entire railing system (as along the edge of a balcony) including a top rail and its balusters, and sometimes a bottom rail.
4. A kind of low wall that is placed at the sides of staircases, bridges, etc., and that is made of a row of short posts topped by a long rail along the top.
balustraded
Having been equipped with a row of balusters topped by a rail, serving as an open parapet; such as, along the edge of a balcony, terrace, bridge, staircase, or the eaves of a building.