Column vs. Pier

Difference Between Column and Pier
Columnnoun
(architecture) A solid upright structure designed usually to support a larger structure above it, such as a roof or horizontal beam, but sometimes for decoration.
Piernoun
A raised platform built from the shore out over water, supported on piles; used to secure, or provide access to shipping; a jetty.
Columnnoun
A vertical line of entries in a table, usually read from top to bottom.
Piernoun
A similar structure, especially at a seaside resort, used to provide entertainment.
Columnnoun
A body of troops or army vehicles, usually strung out along a road.
Piernoun
A structure that projects tangentially from the shoreline to accommodate ships; often double-sided.
Columnnoun
A body of text meant to be read line by line, especially in printed material that has multiple adjacent such on a single page.
It was too hard to read the text across the whole page, so I split it into two columns.Piernoun
A structure supporting the junction between two spans of a bridge.
Columnnoun
A unit of width, especially of advertisements, in a periodical, equivalent to the width of a usual column of text.
Each column inch costs $300 a week; this ad is four columns by three inches, so will run $3600 a week.Piernoun
(architecture) A rectangular pillar, or similar structure, that supports an arch, wall or roof.
Columnnoun
(by extension) A recurring feature in a periodical, especially an opinion piece, especially by a single author or small rotating group of authors, or on a single theme.
His initial foray into print media was as the author of a weekly column in his elementary-school newspaper.Piernoun
a platform built out from the shore into the water and supported by piles; provides access to ships and boats
Columnnoun
Something having similar vertical form or structure to the things mentioned above, such as a spinal column.
Piernoun
(architecture) a vertical supporting structure (as a portion of wall between two doors or windows)
Columnnoun
(botany) The gynostemium
Piernoun
a support for two adjacent bridge spans
Columnnoun
(chemistry) An object used to separate the different components of a liquid or to purify chemical compounds.
Columnnoun
a line of (usually military) units following one after another
Columnnoun
a vertical glass tube used in column chromatography; a mixture is poured in the top and washed through a stationary substance where components of the mixture are adsorbed selectively to form colored bands
Columnnoun
a linear array of numbers one above another
Columnnoun
anything tall and thin approximating the shape of a column or tower;
the test tube held a column of white powdera tower of dust rose above the horizona thin pillar of smoke betrayed their campsiteColumnnoun
an article giving opinions or perspectives
Columnnoun
a vertical structure standing alone and not supporting anything (as a monument or a column of air)
Columnnoun
(architeture) a tall cylindrical vertical upright and used to support a structure