bannisters

noun

1. banister.

noun

1. a baluster.
2. Sometimes banisters. the balustrade of a staircase.

pl n

1. a variant spelling of banisters

noun

1. Sir Roger (Gilbert). born 1929, British athlete and doctor: first man to run a mile in under four minutes (1954)

n.

1660s, unexplained corruption of baluster. As late as 1830 condemned as “vulgar,” it is now accepted. Surname Bannister is from Old French banastre “basket,” hence, “basket-maker.”