Definition of pendentive in English English dictionary
The concave triangular sections of vaulting that provide the transition between a dome and the square base on which it is set and transfer the weight of the dome
A transitional form used to move from a square base ground plan to a round area upon which a cylinder, dome, or both can be rested It is designed by removing a circular section from a groin vault
adj. In architecture, a triangular segment of a spherical surface that forms the transition between the circular plan of a dome and the polygonal plan of its supporting structure. The problem of placing a round dome on a square base assumed growing importance to Roman builders, but it remained for Byzantine architects to recognize the possibilities of the pendentive and fully develop it (see Hagia Sophia). One of the great architectural inventions of all time, the pendentive became very important in the Renaissance and Baroque periods. As a result of Byzantine influence, pendentives are also frequent in Islamic architecture. The vaulting form in which the curve of the pendentive and dome is continuous is known as a pendentive dome
The portion of a vault by means of which the square space in the middle of a building is brought to an octagon or circle to receive a cupola
The triangular portion of a sphere which forms a transition from a square or polygonal room to a circular dome
The curved and sloping surfaces beneath a dome that mark the transition from the circle of the dome (or its drum) to the square of the supports piano nobile In Italian, the principal storey, usually above the ground floor
The part of a groined vault which is supported by, and springs from, one pier or corbel