Columns (architectural elements)

In the discipline of architecture, refers to cylindrical or slightly tapering, vertical members made to either give support or to appear to give support. They usually comprise three sections: base, capital, and shaft. The term also refers to all uprights in steel frame or concrete frame structures. Columns may occasionally stand alone as a monument, for example in Trajan's Column in Rome or Nelson's Column in London. Columns may be used as decorative elements on furniture. For square or rectangular members, either in masonry construction or classically treated, and for massive uprights in Medieval architecture, see "piers (supporting elements)"; for wooden square uprights, see "posts."