Definition of "banister" [ban•is•ter]

• A handrail, especially on a staircase. (noun)
• Such a handrail together with its supporting structures. (noun)
• One of the vertical supports of a handrail; a baluster. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "“The banister is an especially interesting piece,” Lowell said as they continued the tour."
• "Dangling from the banister was a cardboard notice, which read:"
• "She won't admit it, though, and laughs and kisses her hand over the banister, which is all the closer we have seen her yet."