Exonarthex
noun
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The space anterior to the narthex of a church, sometimes roofed-over as with a porch, but more often an enclosed courtyard; in antiquity, the courtyard where catechumens were permitted to be close to the Eucharist, but forbidden to see it celebrated.
"The exonarthex is of inferior workmanship, and has been thought by some of later date than the rest of the church; but there seems no ground for this belief."
Example
More examples"The exonarthex is of inferior workmanship, and has been thought by some of later date than the rest of the church; but there seems no ground for this belief."
Etymology
From exo- + narthex.
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.