Entasis
/ˈɛntəsɪs/ noun
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A slight convex curvature introduced into the shaft of a column for aesthetic reasons, or to compensate for the illusion of concavity. countable, uncountable
"It was simply the curve of the entasis, approximating infinitely near to a catenary or to a very flat hyperbola. He could not definitely say whether it was one or the other, but it was nearer to these curves than to the old-fashioned straight line."
- 2 a slight convexity in the shaft of a column; compensates for the illusion of concavity that viewers experience when the sides are perfectly straight wordnet
Synonyms
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All antonymsExample
More examples"It was simply the curve of the entasis, approximating infinitely near to a catenary or to a very flat hyperbola. He could not definitely say whether it was one or the other, but it was nearer to these curves than to the old-fashioned straight line."
Etymology
From Latin entasis, from Ancient Greek ἔντασις (éntasis, “tension, straining”), from ἐντείνω (enteínō, “to stretch or strain tight”).