entasis

English - English

Definition of entasis in English English dictionary

A slight convex curvature introduced into the shaft of a column for aesthetic reasons, or to compensate for the illusion of concavity

Convex curve given to a column, spire, or similar upright member to avoid the optical illusion of hollowness or weakness that would arise from normal tapering. Exaggerated in Greek work of the Doric order, it grew more and more subtle in the 5th-4th century BC. Entasis is also occasionally found in Gothic spires and in smaller Romanesque columns

Same as Entasia

a slight convexity in the shaft of a column; compensates for the illusion of concavity that viewers experience when the sides are perfectly straight

{i} (Architecture) slight bulge in a column, slight and unnoticeable convex in the shaft of a column

A slight convex swelling of the shaft of a column

a slight curvature introduced into the shaft of a column to create the impression of concavity; a deliberate bowing

Hyphenation

en·ta·sis

Etymology

() Latin, from Ancient Greek έντασις (entasis, “tension, straining”), from εντείνω (enteino, “to stretch or strain tight”).