WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
pul•vi•nar
(pul vī′nər),USA pronunciation n., pl. pul•vi•nar•i•a (pul′və nâr′ē ə),USA pronunciation adj.
n.
adj.
n.
- Antiquity, Furniture(in ancient Rome)
- a cushioned couch kept in readiness for any visitation of a god.
- a cushioned seat at a circus.
- ArchitectureAlso called pulvinus. (on an Ionic capital) either of two convex forms having on their ends two of the volutes.
adj.
- Architecturepulvinate (def. 3).
- Latin pulvīnar cushioned couch, equivalent. to pulvīn(us) cushion + -ar, shortening of -āre, neuter of āris -ar1; (adjective, adjectival) pulvin(us) + -ar1
- (noun, nominal) 1590–1600
'pulvinar' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):