pai-lou

noun

variants or less commonly pai-loo

ˈpīˈlō

plural pai-lou or pai-lous

: a usually elaborate Chinese commemorative archway erected in honor of someone highly esteemed (as for virtue) and consisting typically of four heavy square pillars topped with horizontal crossbeams and often buttressed with conventionalized lions and having an incised memorial tablet placed against or near the center crossbeam compare toran, torii

Word History

Etymology

Chinese p'ai²-lou², from p'ai² tablet + lou² tower

Cite this Entry

Style

“Pai-lou.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pai-lou. Accessed 29 Nov. 2024.

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