[ noun ] any vertical post or rod used as a support <noun.artifact>
Stanchion \Stan"chion\ (st[a^]n"sh[u^]n; 277), n. [OF. estanson, estan[,c]on, F. ['e]tan[,c]on, from OF. estance a stay, a prop, from L. stans, stantis, standing, p. pr. of stare to stand. See {Stand}, and cf. {Stanza}.] [Written also {stanchel}.] 1. (Arch.) A prop or support; a piece of timber in the form of a stake or post, used for a support or stay.
2. (Naut.) Any upright post or beam used as a support, as for the deck, the quarter rails, awnings, etc.
3. A vertical bar for confining cattle in a stall.
The green-and-yellow fabric of the balloon was draped over the edge of a small stand of trees adjacent to the tower, about 50 feet from a stanchion that holds five of the cable guy wires that steady the tower.
The man was shot and killed by a backup police unit after he used the three-foot-long stanchion to attack a police officer who tried to subdue him, said Sgt. Raymond O'Donnell, a police spokesman.