What does plinth mean?
Word: Plinth
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Plinth means a block of stone or similar material that a statue or column stands on.
Synonyms: base
How do you spell plinth?
Syllables: plinth
Tricky part: The word ends in the three letters nth, and pupils easily lose the n or the h, giving plith or plint.
Watch out for: plith, plint
Memory tip: Think of your tenth birthday: tenth finishes with the same three letters as plinth.
Plinth in a sentence
Example 1: A bronze horse rises from a tall plinth in the town square.
Example 2: Builders raised the plinth of the new house above the flood level.
Example 3: Nikhil climbed onto the low plinth to get a better photograph of the parade.
Fun Fact
London's Trafalgar Square has a famous Fourth Plinth. It stood empty for more than 150 years and now shows a changing series of modern artworks.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to form a word:
_l_nth
a) p, i
b) c, i
c) p, e
d) b, i
Show answer
a) p, i. It opens like plan and has the vowel of pin.
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
pllinth
a) i
b) h
c) p
d) l
Show answer
d) l. One l is all this short word needs.
Mingle-Mangle
The sentence contains a jumbled word. Choose the word it hides:
Workers lowered the bronze statue of the freedom fighter onto a granite nlhtpi.
a) plenty
b) pliant
c) plight
d) plinth
Show answer
d) plinth. The jumble has an n, a t and an h, with no g, a or e.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word plinth as used in the sentence:
The marble bust stands on a plain plinth in the hotel lobby.
a) archway
b) pedestal
c) balcony
d) skylight
Show answer
b) pedestal. A pedestal is what something on show is raised up on.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A sculptor finishes a statue. What is the plinth for?
a) keeping rain off its head
b) showing its price to buyers
c) lighting it up after dark
d) raising it above the ground
Show answer
d) raising it above the ground
2. What would you most expect to read on the front of a plinth?
a) the city bus timetable
b) the name of the person shown
c) today's weather report
d) a list of food prices
Show answer
b) the name of the person shown
