Select the first letter of the word from the list above to jump to appropriate section of the
glossary. If the term you are looking for starts with a digit or symbol, choose the ‘#’ link.
– A –
A tablet placed horizontally on the capital of a column, aiding the support of the
A solid piece of masonry used to support a projecting part of a structure, for example,
the supports that connect a bridge with a river bank.
The citadel in ancient Greek towns.
Sun-dried brick used in places with warm, dry climates, such as Egypt and Mexico; the
clay from which bricks are made; the structures built out of adobe bricks.
A continuous aisle in a circular building, as in a church.
A semicircular area; in most churches it contains the altar.
Ornament consisting of garlands of foliage with figures, fancifully interlaced to form
graceful curves and painted, inlaid, or carved in low relief.
A series of arches supported by columns or piers, or a passageway formed by these
A curved structure that supports the weight of the material above it.
The lowest part of an entablature resting on the capital of a column; also, the holdings
around a doorway.
Stones hewn and squared for use in building, as distinguished from rough stones.
In an ancient Roman structure, a central room open to the sky, usually having a pool for
the collection of rainwater. In Christian churches, a courtyard flanked by porticos.
The part of the entablature above the cornice, serving to hide the roof.
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– B –
A richly ornamented canopy structure supported by columns, suspended from a roof, or
projected from a wall, as over an altar.
A style that flourished in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, characterized by
exuberant decoration, curvaceous forms, and a grand scale generating a sense of
movement; later developments show greater restraint.
The early Greek name for a royal palace; a large oblong building with double columns
and a semicircular apse at one end, frequently used by Christian emperors of Rome for
religious purposes.
The style of the Bauhaus School, founded in Germany by Walter Gropius in 1919,
emphasizing simplicity, functionalism, and craftsmanship.
A projecting support built into or against the external wall of a building, typically used in
A style dating from the fifth century, characterized by masonry construction around a
central plan, with domes on penditives, typically depicting the figure of Christ; foliage
patterns on stone capitals; and interiors decorated with mosaics and frescos.
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– C –
A bell tower usually not actually attached to a church; also, lofty towers that form parts
of buildings.
A horizontal projection, such as a balcony or beam, supported at one end only.
A tradition of Greek and Roman antiquity, distinguished by the qualities of simplicity,
The Italian Renaissance or neoclassical movements in England and the United States in
the nineteenth century that looked to the traditions of Greek and Roman antiquity.
Part of an interior rising above adjacent rooftops, permitting the passage of light.
In religious institutions, a courtyard with covered walks.
A row of columns, usually equidistant.
A vertical support; in an order it consists of a shaft and capital, often resting on a base.
A Roman order; its capital combines the Corinthian acanthus leaf decoration with
The last of the three Greek orders, similar to the Ionic, but with the capital decorated
with carvings of the acanthus leaf.
The upper part of an entablature, extending beyond the frieze.
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– D –
A roof formed by a series of arches, roughly forming a semicircle.
The first and simplest of the three Greek orders and the only one that normally has no
base.
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– E –
The upper horizontal part of an order, between a capital and the roof; it consists of the
architrave, frieze, and cornice.
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– F –
Any important face of a building, usually the principal front with the main entrance.
12/13/2009 Architecture
http://www.webref.org/architecture.htm 3/9
The middle part of an entablature, often decorated with spiral scrolls (volutes).
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– G –
A spout placed on the roof gutter of a Gothic building to carry away rainwater,
commonly carved fancifully as in the shapes of animal heads.
The prevailing style of English architecture during the reigns of George I, II, and III
(1714- 1820), based on the principles of the Italian Renaissance architect Andrea
Palladio. The style was transported to England by Inigo Jones and Sir Christopher Wren.
It became the prototype for the colonial style in America.
A style employed in Europe during the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth centuries;
also called pointed. It is characterized by the use of pointed arches and ribbed vaults,
piers, and buttresses in the support of its stone construction. The style is best
exemplified by the Notre Dame in Paris and the cathedrals of Amiens and Bourges.
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– H –
(empty)
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– I –
Second of the three Greek orders. Its capital is decorated with spiral scrolls (volutes).
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– J –
(empty)
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– K –
(empty)
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– L –
See post and lintel.
A rostrum developed in medieval Italian towns, roofed, slightly elevated, and open on
three sides, from which orators could address crowds.
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– M –
A slender, lofty tower with balconies attached to a Muslim mosque.
The measurement that architects use to determine the proportions of a structure, for
example, the diameter of a column.
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– N –
An enclosed passage from the nave to the main entrance of a church.
The principal area of a church, extending from the main area to the transept.
A style of buildings erected by the Normans (1066 – 1154) based on the Italian
Romanesque. It was used principally in castles, churches, and abbeys of massive
proportions. Sparsely decorated masonry and the use of the round arch are
characteristic.
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– O –
A term applied to the three styles of Greek architecture, the Dorian, Corinthian, and
Ionic, referring to the style of columns and their entablatures; it also refers to the
Composite and the Tuscan, developed from the original three orders.
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– P –
A temple or sacred building, typically in an Asian nation, usually pyramidal, forming a
tower with upward curving roofs over the individual stories.
In a classical-style building, the triangular segment between the horizontal entablature
and the sloping roof.
A curved support shaped like an inverted triangle, used to support a dome.
A large pillar used to support a roof.
A structure usually attached to a building, such as a porch, consisting of a roof supported
A method of construction in which vertical beams (posts) are used to support a
horizontal beam (lintel).
In ancient Egypt, a quadrilateral masonry mass with steeply sloping sides meeting at an
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– Q –
(empty)
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– R –
Moldings and ornamentation projecting from the surface of a wall.
Styles existing in Italy in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries; adaptations of ancient
Roman elements to contemporary uses, with attention to the principles of Vitruvius and
to existing ruins. Symmetry, simplicity, and exact mathematical relationships are
emphasized.
A style originating in France c. 1720, developed out of Baroque types, and characterized
by its ornamentation of shellwork, foliage, etc., and its refined use of different
materials, such as stucco, metal, or wood for a delicate effect.
A style developed in western and southern Europe after 1000 characterized by heavy
masonry and the use of the round arch, barrel and groin vaults, narrow openings, and the
vaulting rib, the vaulting shaft, and central and western towers.
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– S –
A tall, tapering, acutely pointed roof to a tower, as in the top of a steeple.
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– T –
Ornament of ribs, bars, etc., in panels or screens, as in the upper part of a Gothic
A structure that forms the arms of a T – or cross-shaped church.
A style of English architecture prevalent during the reigns of the Tudors (1485- 1558),
transitional between Gothic and Palladian, with emphasis on privacy and interiors.
A small tower, usually starting at some distance from the ground, attached to a building
A Roman order resembling the Doric without a fluted shaft.
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– U –
(empty)
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– V –
An arched brick or stone ceiling or roof. The simplest form is the barrel vault, a single
continuous arch; the groined vault consists of two barrel vaults joined at right angles; a
ribbed vault has diagonal arches projecting from the surface.
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– W –
In German Romanesque, a monumental entrance to a church consisting of porches and
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– X –
(empty)
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– Y –
(empty)
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– Z –
(empty)
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– # –
(empty)
Sources Cited
WebRef Architecture, http://www.webref.org/architecture.htm 9/9. Last accessed December 13, 2009.
Key Stats
At time of upload on August 11, 2004:
- 66 duplicative terms of those already existing in the Architectural Dictionary
- 0 original terms
- 66 total terms in source
- 0% original terms in source
- 16 sources in dictionary
- 752 unique terms in dictionary
- 2,350 total terms all sources in dictionary
- 32% unique terms in dictionary