water pillar

water pillar (plural water pillars)

1. A waterspout (whirlwind).
   • 1892, The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary on the Old Testament, page 264:

     A vivid account of such water-pillar instability is given in "The Young Castaways;" while a similar illustration of the transitory character of the desert sand-columns is supplied by the author of "The Tropical World."

   • 2022, Anna Melnichenko, Listen to your angel:

     The gigantic water-pillar was approaching the shore.

   • 2024, G. Alexandersson, The Baltic Straits, page 16:

     The whole water pillar then moves south into the Baltic.

2. Synonym of water crane.
   • 1854, Charles Meason, “No 889: Supplying Fuel and Water to Locomotive Engines, &c.”, in English Patents of Inventions, Specifications: 1854, 846 - 890:

     I prefer attaching the coking crane to the "water pillar" (by which water is supplied to the locomotive or tender), by means of brackets or other iron work.

   • 1916 August 1, “Motor-Wagons, Tractors and Carriages”, in Farm Implement and Machinery Review, page 446:

     Water-pillar fountains have recently been installed in several Lancashire boroughs for supplying water to steam motor wagons and tractors.

   • 1924, Walter George Chapman, "Caerphilly Castle": A Book of Railway Locomotives for Boys of All Ages, page 89:

     You are probably familiar with the more common water pillar or water crane from which the tenders or tanks of engines are replenished at stations, etc.

3. A power-generation mechanism that makes use of the pressure differential created by changing water levels due to tide action, which is used to drive turbines or pumps.
   • 1994, New Technology Japan - Volume 22, page 35:

     Electricity is generated by the vibrating water pillar type water valve integration system using four air chambers, with an output of 130kW provided by the horizontal axle type induction generator […]

   • 2009, V.V. Volshanik, “Proposed Systems for Wave Energy Conversion”, in Evald Emilievich Shpilrain, editor, Renewable Energy Sources Charged With Energy from the Sun and Originated from Earth-Moon Interaction, page 52:

     In order to increase the amplitude of water level or pressure alterations in 'oscillating water pillar' , a system of U-shaped pipes with different cross-sections is proposed.

   • 2019, Radian Belu, Fundamentals and Source Characteristics of Renewable Energy Systems:

     This motion of the water pillar is achieved by e.g., taking a pipe and placing it partly submerged in the sea.

4. A framework or initiative that focuses on water resources in sustainable development and climate action.
   • 2023, The Big Push for Transformation Through Climate and Development, page 24:

     The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development is acting as the key partner for the energy pillar, with the International Fund for Agricultural Development as the key partner for the food pillar and the African Development Bank as the key partner for the water pillar.

   • 2024, Anatoly B Schmidt, Sustainable Investing: Problems And Solutions, page 212:

     The water pillar is composed of parameters that are related to water management, conservation, and performance .

   • 2024, V.G. Barros, J. González-Amejo, L. Tombolini, M. Sgroi, A. Foglia, A.L. Eusebi, F. Fatone, “Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystems-Climate Nexus in the Water Reuse Sector”, in Marco Minella, editor, Water Reuse and Unconventional Water Resources, page 573:

     The reduced number of papers was surprising, as the water pillar of the Nexus is highly related to circular economy, and in turn to water reuse [10, 42, 43].

5. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see water,‎ pillar.; a pillar formed of water.
   • 1913 January 1, “San Francisco's Hidden Water”, in Fire and Water Engineering, volume 53, page 10:

     The 110-foot pile which had struct the hidden stream at a dept of 86 feet, when the geyser-like water pillar spurted up skywards nearly 100 feet has been raised to the surface.

   • 2007, Thomas Oppenländer, Photochemical Purification of Water and Air, page 245:

     the generation of a rotating water pillar within the irradiation chamber of the photoreactor by tangential water injection (VitaTec, Freigericht, Germany);

   • 2020, Huo Ju, Deadly Forbidden Tomb:

     If this continued, the two of them wouldn't be able to hold on for long before they were smashed into meat patties by the water pillar.

   • 2022, Jack Challoner, 1001 Inventions That Changed the World, page 201:

     Jozef Hell, senior mining engineer and son of the equally talented Matej Kornel Hell, would become preeminent in the successful implementation of this revolution with his "water pillar” or “water column” pump designs.

• “water pillar”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.