Exam one arch vocab

Voussoir

A wedge-shaped stone or brick used to form an arch.

Keystone

The central stone at the top of an arch that locks the voussoirs in place.

Spandrel

The space between a curved arch and a rectangular boundary.

Abutment

A structure that absorbs the lateral thrust coming off an arch.

Dome

An arch rotated 360 degrees on its axis, creating a large interior void.

Oculus

A round opening at the apex of a dome.

Parti Pris

The organizing thought behind a design.

Plan

A diagram of the horizontal layout of rooms that shows the function, purpose, and use of a building.

Section

A vertical slice through a building's stories that illustrates how a building is supported.

Elevation

The exterior of a building as if one were facing it.

Bay

A building module usually defined by the repetition of an element, such as a column or an arch.

Column

A vertical support, cylindrical in shape.

Pier

A vertical support, generally square.

Pilaster

A rectangular element that projects slightly from the wall.

Tension

Stretching apart.

Compression

Squeezing together.

Tensile strength

The ability of a material to resist the forces of gravity and span a horizontal distance.

Corbel

A bracket or stone that projects from the face of a wall to support a cornice, beam, or arch.

Pylon

A massive gateway, often a wall pierced by a door.

Battered

The receding upward slope of a wall or structure.

Hypostyle hall

A large interior space whose roof rests on columns.

Stoa

A covered walk consisting of a roofed colonnade with a back wall.

Triglyph

The incised vertical bands in the entablature of a Doric-style temple.

Metope

The space between two triglyphs in a Doric frieze.

Acanthus

A stylized leaf that decorates Corinthian capitals.

Pediment

A wide, low-pitched gable forming a triangular space above the facade of a building in a Classical style.

Entasis

The slight convex curve on Greek columns to overcome the optical illusion of concavity that would result if the shafts were straight.