Lancet (architecture) - definition of Lancet (architecture) by The Free Dictionary Lancet (architecture) - definition of Lancet (architecture) by The Free Dictionary Also found in: Thesaurus , Encyclopedia , Wikipedia . lancet window A tall, narrow window set in a lancet arch. lancet window (Architecture) a narrow window having a lancet arch. Sometimes shortened to: lancet lan′cet win′dow a high, narrow window terminating in a lancet arch. [1775–85] 1. lancet window - a narrow window having a lancet arch and without tracery window - a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air Translations lancet window n (Archit) → Spitzbogenfenster nt Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us , add a link to this page, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content .

Link to this page: Copyright © 2003-2017 Farlex, Inc Disclaimer All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional. * Lancet (Architecture) - Definition,meaning - Online Encyclopedia lancet window - a narrow window having a lancet arch and without tracery window - a frame work of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air Translations ... A lancet window is a tall, narrow window with a pointed arch at its top.[1] It acquired the "lancet" name from its resemb lance to a lance .[2] Instances of this architectural motif are typical of Gothic ecclesiastical structures of the earliest period. An arch popular during the Gothic period, that is acutely pointed. These arches are used in windows, doors, and gateways. Hickson ...

lancet arch : the basic Gothic pointed arch (usually applied to long, narrow windows) lantern tower : the crossing tower (i.e. the tower above the space at the crossing ) has with several windows for illuminating the crossing . A typically Norman design ... LANCET A tall, narrow pointed window, often found in threes, fives, or sevens on a church 's end walls. (illustration from Robert Burn, The Illustrated London Architectural, Engineering & Mechanical Drawing-Book of 1853, showing Early English Gothic ) ... Lancet window - A Gothic pointed window. Lantern - An upright structure on a roof or dome for letting in light and air or for decoration. Latticework - An ornament al, lattice frame work consisting of a criss-crossed pattern. Lancet The windowed upper stage of a tower or dome . Lancet: Mausoleum . Lancet - Long, narrow window with pointed head. Lantern - Small structure with open or windowed sides on top of a roof or dome to let light or air into the enclosed space below. Lattice - Laths or lines crossing to form a network. lancet A narrow pointed window.

lantern A windowed superstructure at the top of a roof or dome ; a small cupola . lintel A horizontal beam or stone bridging an opening, most often a door . A tall, slender window with a sharply pointed arch (like a lance ), common in early Gothic architecture . Image courtesy of Gretchen Range r ... lancet: a narrow pointed window, much used in 13th-century Gothic . lantern : topmost section of a dome , with small vertical windows admitting light or air to the interior. A pointed arch , of which the width, or span , is narrow compared with the height. LANCET ARCH - A pointed arch , of which the width, or span , is narrow compared with the height. LATH - The smallest piece of timber (2-5cms) across used in building, employed on rafters to support the roof covering or in a partition as a base for plaster . Lancet pointed, as seen in the arches and windows with a pointed head introduced in the Gothic period of architecture . [From the point of a lance - a spear.] Medallion ... lancet : A long, narrow window with pointed head.

lantern : a small circular or polygonal structure, with windows all around the base, which opens above a larger tower or dome . lintel : A beam of any material used to span an opening. Latticework - an ornament al, lattice frame work consisting of a criss-crossed pattern Lesene - a pilaster without a base or a capital [3] ... Synonyms: Lancet Lintel search for term Horizontal beam or stone bridging an opening. Lychgate search for term ... Sometimes called lancet style from its use of single narrow windows. These can be grouped together to form plate tracery . Larger arches frequently have narrow multiple moulding s, heavily undercut. L-plan tower house Distinctive Scottish form of the tower house in which a wing was added at right angles to the main tower block LabelProjecting weather moulding above a door or window to deflect rainwater Lancet window Long, narrow window with pointed head LightComponent part of window, ... West Front , right lancet: Tree of Jesse 3 West Front , center lancet: Infancy of Christ ...

The wedge shaped elements that make up an arch keep one another in palce and transform the vertical pressure of the structure above into lateral pressure; Can be round-headed, pointed, two-centered, or drop ; ogee - pointed with double curved sides, upper arcs lower concave; lancet - pointed formed on an ... LANCET: narrow window, usually pointed (late C12 or C13). LANCETS - TRIPLET: grouping of three lancets, divided by shaft s or mullions . LANTERN : open tower or turret with windows, usually in the middle of a roof or over a crossing (qv). LANCET: a one-light window or other arch , characteristic of the Early English style, formed of a pair of concave arcs, drawn from centres on the springing line and with a radius greater than the arch width. Steeply pitch ed gable roof s Lancet, pointed arch es for openings and windows Pinnacle s and finial s Rose- and clover-shaped windows Asymmetrical floor plan s ... It is in the Early English period (1200-1275) that the Gothic style became truly adapted by English craftsmen/architects.

This period is also called "Lancet", referring to the pointed lancet window s (narrow, untraceried) that characterize it. Form is still austere and proportion is magnificently simple. First phase of Gothic architecture dominant after Norman , characterised by the earliest pointed arch es and simple lancet window s c1190-1250. Estoile A star, usually of six wavy points. Where there are more they are alternately straight and wavy. Roof lines are uneven, their crenulated battlements often broken by stepped gable s. While small lancet window s may appear in tower s and gable s, large bay windows of plate glass were not uncommon, but even these would often have their individual roofs adorned by pinnacle s and crenellation s. The elevated entrance led into a screens passage separated from the hall by a timber screen , now vanished...Off this a small lancet window permitted the porter to observe the app roach . The doorway is arched in receding orders of broad splay s beneath a label mould. A portcullis and draw-bar secured it." ...

The clerestory itself was now lighted in each bay or division by two very tall lancet window s surmounted by a rose window . At one stroke the architect of Chartres established the major divisions of the interior that were to become standard in all later Gothic church es. The individual wedge- shaped blocks are initially laid on support s, usually timber , called formwork , or centering . There are a number of different types of arch , the names of which are largely self-explanatory, ie elliptical , flat, horseshoe, lancet, obtuse, ogee , segmental , semicircular, triangular. The relations of the arcade , triforium , and clerestory , the varying designs of the latter with their subtile arrangements of slender shaft s and delicate lancets; the beautiful pier sections and moulding profile s, together with the sculpture of capitals , bosses, crockets , ... Architectural Terminology A semicircular or polygonal passageway around the apse of a church. Image courtesy of Gretchen Ranger Apse A semicircular, polygonal, or rectangular extension at the end of a Roman basilica or a Christian church.

Image courtesy of Heather Russell Anta In Classical temples, the pilaster like projecting end of a portico wall often framing columns, which are then said to be in antis Image courtesy of Gayle Goudy Kochanski Arcade A series of arches supported on piers or columns. A "blind" arcade is a row of arches applied to the wall as an ornamental feature. Image courtesy of Gayle Goudy Kochanski Arch A structural devise, curved in shape, to span an opening by means of wedge-shaped bricks or stones (voussoirs) that support each other by exerting mutual pressure and that are buttressed at the sides. Image courtesy of Gayle Goudy Kochanski Architrave A square beam that is the lowest of the three horizontal components of a Classical entablature. Image courtesy of Heather Russell Archivolt A molded band carried around an arch. Image courtesy of Gayle Goudy Kochanski Arcuated Any form of construction using arches. Image courtesy of Gayle Goudy Kochanski Ashlar Building stone that has been squared and finished, and the masonry constructed of such blocks.

Courtesy of Heather Russell Barrel Vault A half-cylindrical vault, semicircular or pointed in cross section; also called tunnel vault. Image courtesy of Heather Russell Bay A vertical compartment of a building in which several such compartments are repeated; each bay mignt be defined by columns, piers, windows, or vaulting units. Michelangelo Museo Capitolino is divided into 7 bays by pilasters. Image courtesy of Phil Gruen Basilica In ancient Roman architecture, a large rectangular building used as a tribunal or for other public purposes and generally arranged with nave, aisles, and one or more apses. In Christian architecture, a longitudinal church of related form. Image courtesy of Gayle Goudy Kochanski Boss Sculpted ornament of joints, found primarily in vaults. Image courtesy of Gretchen Ranger Buttress A projecting mass of masonry serving to provide additional strength for the wall as it resists the lateral thrust exerted by an arch or vault. Plying Buttress: in a church, a buttress in the form of an arch, or set of arches, that carries the thrust of a nave vault over the side aisle roofs down to a massive external pier.

Image courtesy of Gretchen Ranger Capital The uppermost part of a column, usually shaped to articulate the joint with the lintel or arch supported; in Classical types, comprising an abacus, echinus, and other carved detail. Image courtesy of Heather Russell Caryatid A sculpted female figure used as a support in place of a column or pier. Image courtesy of Heather Russell Cella The body and main sanctuary of a Classical temple, as distinct from its portico and other external parts; sometimes used synonymously with naos, the principal room of a temple where the cult statue is housed. Image courtesy of Gayle Goudy Kochanski Centering Temporary wooden framework used to hold construction material in place until a vault or arch is self-sustaining. Image courtesy of Gail Gould Chancel The eastern portion of a church set apart for the clergy, and often separated from the main body of the church by a screen, rail, or steps. The term is also used to describe the entire east end of a church beyond the crossing. Image courtesy of Gretchen Ranger Chevet A French term used to describe the developed east end of a church, usually a French Gothic cathedral, with its apse, ambulatory, and radiating chapels.

Image courtesy of Gretchen Ranger Choir The part of a church, generally located toward or in the apse, reserved for clergy and singers. (This photograph was taken looking down the nave toward the apse. The choir screen is highlighted, which is just beyond the transept.) Image courtesy of Gretchen Ranger Clerestory A part of a building that rises above adjoining roof-tops and is pierced by window openings to admit light to the interior. Image courtesy of Gretchen Ranger Cloister An open square court surrounded by a covered ambulatory, often archaded. It is generally attached to a church or monastery and is distinguished from a secular courtyard by its function as a lace of seclusion and repose. Image courtesy of Gretchen Ranger Coffering Recessed panels, square or polygonal, that ornament a vault, ceiling, or the underside (soffit) of an arch. Image courtesy of Gretchen Ranger Colonnette A small or greately attenuated, slender column. Image courtesy of Gayle Goudy Kochanski Colossal/Giant Order Columns or pilasters that rise through several stories; also called a Giant Order.

Image courtesy of Phil Gruen Column A vertical, usually cylindrical, support, commonly consisting of a base, shaft, and capital; in Classical archtecture, its parts are governed by proportional rules. Image courtesy of Heather Russell Composite Order One of the five Classical orders; favored in late Roman architecture. On the capital, large conjoined Ionic volutes are combined with the acanthus leaves of the Corinthian order. Image courtesy of Gail Gould Compound Pier A pier with columns, shafts, and pilaters attached, sometimes in clusters, to its faces. Image courtesy of Gayle Goudy Kochanski Corbel A masonry block projecting from a wall to support a superincumbent element. Image courtesy of Gretchen Ranger Corbeled Arch Masonry constructed over a wall opening by a series of courses projecting from each side and stepped progressively further forward until they meet at midpoint; not a true arch.

Corinthian Order The most richly embellished of the thre orders (Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian) developed by the Greeks, with a tall capital composed of a bell-shaped core (kalathoss) envelped by layers of acanthus leaves terminating in the corner volutes, surmounted by concave-sided abacus. Image courtesy of Gail Gould Cornice The uppermost, projecting portion of an entablature; also the crowing horizontal molding of a building or wall. Image courtesy of Heather Russell Crossing The area where the nave and transept intersect in a cruciform church, frequently surmounted by a tower or dome. (This tower is over the crossing). Image courtesy of Gail Gould Crypt A vaulted space beneath the pavement of a church, often housing relics or tombs. Diaphragm Arch A transverse arch across the nave of a church partitioning the roof into sections. Image courtesy of Gretchen Ranger Dipteral Referring to a temple surrounded by a double range of columns. Image courtesy of Gayle Goudy Kochanski Distyle in Antis In a Classical temple referring to a portico with two columns between piers (antae) projecting from the cella walls.

Image courtesy of Gayle Goudy Kochanski Dome A curved vault that is erected on a circular base and that is semicircular, pointed, or bulbous in section. If raised over a square or polygonal base transitional squinches or pendentives must be inserted at the corners of the base to transform it into a near circle. Image courtesy of Gayle Goudy Kochanski Doric Order The column and entablature developed on mainland Greece; the fluted columnar shaft is without a base; its capital is an abacus above a simple cushionlike molding (echinus). The entablature has a plain architrave, a frieze composd of metopes and triglyphs, and a cornice with projecting blocks (mutules). In Roman Doric, the colun is slimmer than the Greek prototype, is unfluted, and stands on a low base; the capital is smaller. Image courtesy of Heather Russell Drum 1. The cylindrical or polygonal wall supporting a dome. Image courtesy of Gayle Goudy Kochanski 2. One of the cylindrical sections comprsing the shaft of a column. Image courtesy of Heather Russell Dry Masonry Masonry laid without mortar.

Image courtesy of Heather Russell Echinus A convex, cushion like molding between the shaft and the abacus in the Doric or Tuscan order; in an Ionic capital, found beneath the volutes, generally in decorated form. Image courtesy of Heather Russel Engaged Column A column attached to or appearing to be partly embedded wthin a wall. Images courtesy of Heather Russell (left) and Gayle Goudy Kochanski (right) Entablature The upper part of a Classical order comprising architrave, frieze, and cornice. Image courtesy of Heather Russell Entasis The slight swelling of the vertical profile of a Classical column as it tapers toward the top to counteract the illusion of concavity that accompanies straight-sided columns. (orange lines exaggerated) Image courtesy of Heather Russell Exedra A semicircular recess or niche; a large apse. Image courtesy of Gretchen Ranger Extrados The upper surface of an arch or vault. Image courtesy of Gayle Goudy Kochanski Facade The principal exterior face of a building, usually the front. Image courtesy of Phil Gruen Fluting The shallow concave channels cut vertically into the shaft of a column or pilaster.

In Doric columns, they meet in a sharp edge (arris); in Ionic, Corinthian, and Composite columns, they are separated by a narrow strip. Image courtesy of Heather Russell Frieze A horizontal band, sometimes painted or decorated with sulpture or moldings. It may run along the upper portion of a wall just beneath a cornice or it may be that part of a classical entablature that lies between the architrave and cornice. A Doric frieze often has continuous relief sculpture. Image courstesy of Heather Russel Gable A triangular element. It may be the end of a pitched roof framed by the sloping sides. It also refers to the top of a Gothic panel, or to the triangular area above the portals of a Gothic building. Image courtesy of Gretchen Ranger Gallery An upper story projecting from the interior wall of a building, or placed above the aisles of a church. It may function as a corridor or as an area for assembly or seating. Image courtesy of Gail Gould Groin Vault A vault formed when two barrel vaults of identical size intersect at right angles (also called a cross vault).

Image courtesy of Gail Gould Hall Church A church in which the nave and aisles are the same height, giving the building the appearace of a great hall. Impost In a pier, the projecting molding at the springing of an arch. A rectangular impost block transmits the weight of an arch to a supporting member; it may appear between the capital of a column and the springing of an arch. Image courtesy of Gayle Goudy Kochanski In Antis The term used to describe columns placed between the ends of two walls, commonly projecting from the ends of the cella of a small Greek Temple. Image courtesy of Gayle Goudy Kochanski Intrados The undersurface (as opposed to extrados) of an arch (or vault); also called a soffit. Image courtesy of Gayle Goudy Kochanski Intercolumnation The space between adjacent colunms in a colonnade, frequently determined by some multiple of the diameter of the column itself. Image courtesy of Heather Russell Ionic Order One of the five Classical Orders, the Ionic is characterized by a scroll-shaped (voluted) capital element, the presence of dentils in the cornice, and a frieze that mighta contain continuous relief ornament.

Image courtesy of Gretchen Ranger Keystone The central voussoir at the top of a completed arch. Image courtesy of Gayle Goudy Kochanski Lancet Window A tall, slender window with a sharply pointed arch (like a lance), common in early Gothic architecture. Image courtesy of Gretchen Ranger Lantern A cylindrical or polygonal structure that crowns a dome, its base usually open to allow light to enter the area below. Image courtesy of Gretchen Ranger Loggia An arcade supported by piers or coluns, open on one side at least; either part of a building (as a porch) or a separate structure. Image courtesy of Gayle Goudy Kochanski Lunette A semicircular wall area, or opening, above a door or window; when above the portal of a church, often called a tympanum. Image courtesy of Gretchen Ranger Martyrium A struction, oftenof central plan, erectred on a site sacred to Christianity, symbolizing an act of martydom or marking the grave of a martyr who died for the faith. Megaron The principal hall of an Aegean dwelling, oblong in shape and formed with sloping sides and a flat top, with a passage leading to an underground burial chamber.

Melon Dome/Umbrella Dome A dome subdivided into individual concave webs; sometimes called an umbrella dome. Image courtesy of Gretchen Ranger Metope In the frieze of a Doric order, the rectangular area between tryglyphs; often left plain but sometimes decorated with relief ornament. Image courtesy of Heather Russell Molding A sculpted, ornamental band, carved with a distinctive profile or pattern; highly developed in Classical architecture. Image courtesy of Heather Russell Mullion A slender upright dividing an opening, usually a window, into two or more sections. Image courtesy of Gayle Goudy Kochanski Naos The principal enclosed area of a Greek temple, containing the cult statue of god or goddess. Image courtesy of Gayle Goudy Kochanski Narthex A colonnaded porch in front of the facade of a church, in early Chrisian architectue often serving as the fourth side of an atrium; also a transverse vestibule preceding the church nave and aisles. Image courtesy of Gayle Goudy Kochanski Nave The central, longitudinal space of a basilican church, separated from the aisles or from side chaples, and extending from the main entrance to the transept or to the apse.

Image courtesy of Gretchen Ranger Niche A concave recess in a wall, often used to house statuary. Image courtesy of Heather Russell Oculus A round window. Image courtesy of Gretchen Ranger Opisthodomos The room at the rear of a Greek temple, behind the naos. Image courtesy of Gayle Goudy Kochanski Order A system for the forms and relationship of elements in the column and entablature of Classical architecture according to one of five modes: Doric, Ionic, Corinthian (developed by the Greeks), and Tuscan and Composite (developed by the Romans). Palladian Motif/Serliana A triple opening formed by a central semicircular arch springing from the entablature of narrower flanking square-headed bays, used by architect Andrea Palladio. Also known as a Serliana because it was first illustrated in the architecture treatise of 1537 by Sebastiano Serlio. Image courtesy of Gail Gould Parapet A low wall for protection at the edge of a balcony, terrace, roof, bridge, etc. Image courtesy of Gayle Goudy Kochanski Pedestal A supporting substructure for a column or statue.

Image courtesy of Heather Russell Pediment A triangular space formed by the raking cornices (sloping sides) and horizontal cornice of a gabled temple; also used above a door or window. If the apex or base is split, the pediment is described as broken. Image courtesy of Heather Russell Pendentive An inverted, concave, triangular piece of masonry serving as the transition from a square support system to the circular base of a dome. Image courtesy of Gretchen Ranger Peripteral Pertaining to a building surrounded by a row of columns on all sides. Image courtesy of Heather Russell Piano Nobile The principal reception and living area in an Italian palace, the first floor above the ground. Image courtesy of Gretchen Ranger Piazza The Italian term for a city square. Image courtesy of Phil Gruen Pier A massive vertical support often rectangular in plan and therefore differing from a column, sometimes having its own capital and base. When combined with pilasters, columns, or shafts, it is called a compound pier. Its proportions are far more variable than a Classical column. Pier is also the term used for the solid mass between windows, doors, and arches.

Image courtesy of Heather Russell Pilaster A column is flattened, rectangular shape, projecting slightly form the face of the wall. Image courtesy of Gayle Goudy Kochanski Plinth A generally square block forming the bottommost element of a column base; or the projecting lowest portion of a wall. Image courtesy of Gayle Goudy Kochanski Podium A massive platform on which an Etruscan, Roman, or other ancient building was sometimes placed. Image courtesy of Gail Gould Portico An open, colonnaded, roofed space serving as a porch before the entrance to a building. Image courtesy of Gail Gould Post and Lintel A system of construction in which two or more uprights support a horizontal beam; also called trabeated. Image courtesy of Heather Russell Pronaos The porch in font of the cella of a Greek or Roman temple formed by the projection of the side walls and a range of columns between the projections. Image courtesy of Gayle Goudy Kochanski Pylon In ancient Egyptian architecture, the sloping, tower-like walls flanking the entrance to a temple.

Image courtesy of Phil Gruen Quoin Large stone or block laid at the corner of a building (or at an opening) used either for reinforcement of the angle or for ornament. Image courtesy of Gail Gould Revetment The facing of a surface, usually a wall, with stone for ornamentation or protection. (Notice how the ornamental revetment is only on the facade and does not continue on the side surfaces.) Image courtesy of Gretchen Ranger Rib A slender, projecting arched member of a vault, used to facilitate its construction, reinforce its structure, or articulate its form in varying ways in Roman, Byzantine, and Islamic, Gothic, and Baroque architecture. Image courtesy of Gretchen Ranger Rib Vault An arched ceiling or roof supported or reinforced by ribs. Image courtesy of Gretchen Ranger Rustication Masonry with massive, strongly textured or rough-hew blocks and sharply sunk joints, distinguished form smooth ashlar. Image courtesy of Phil Gruen Scotia A concave molding used as the intermediate part of a base. Image courtesy of Heather Russell Shaft The cylindrical body of a column between capital and base. Image courtesy of Heather Russell Spandrel The triangular area between adjoining arches, or the triangualr area next to a single arch.

Image courtesy of Gayle Goudy Kochanski Spire A tall pointed termination of a tower or roof. Image courtesy of Gretchen Ranger Splay The widening of windows, doorways, and other openings by slanting the sides. Springing The point from which an arch or vault springs or rises from its supports. Image courtesy of Gayle Goudy Kochanski Squinch A small arch, or sometimes a lintel, thrown across the angle of a square or polygon to make them more nearly round and thus able to recieve the circular base of a dome. Image courtesy of Gail Gould Stringcourse A continuous, projecting horizontal course of masonry, ususally molded, running along, the surface of a wall, to mark an architectural subdivision. Image courtesy of Gayle Goudy Kochanski Stylobate The continuous platform of masonry on which a colonnade rests; the uppermost level of the stepped base (crepidoma) of a Greek temple. Image courtesy of Heather Russell Thrust The outward force exerted by an arch or vault. Image courtesy of Gayle Goudy Kochanski Torus A large convex molding found principally at the base of a column.

Image courtesy of Heather Russell Trabeated An architectural system using a horizontal beam over supports, as opposed to an arched or arcuated system; synonymous with post and lintel. Image courtesy of Heather Russell Tracery Ornamental intersecting stonework in Gothic windows, panels, and screen of Gothic buildings; also used on the surface of late Gothic vaults. Varied techniques and patterns are given names such as plate tracery (built up in corsed layers like the framing walls), bar tracery (constructed of complex fragments of the total pattern), flowing tracery (seemingly freehand, curvilinear design, though compass drawn), etc. Image courtesy of Gail Gould Transept In a basilican church, the arm that crosses the nave at right angles, usually separating it from the apse; twin transept arms may also project from the nave without interrupting it. Triforium An arcaded wall passage in a Gothic nave wall, between the clerestory and the main arcade in a three-story elevation; in a four-story elevation, it appears between the gallery and the clerstory.

Image courtesy of Gail Gould Triglyph In a Doric frieze, the projecting block marked by vertical grooves (glyphs) between the rectangular areas known as metopes Image courtesy of Heather Russell Vault An arched ceiling or roof made of stone, brick, or concrete (cf. barrel vault, fan vault). Image courtesy of Heather Russell Volute Ornament in the form of a spiral scroll, and the principal feature of the Ionic capital. Image courtesy of Gayle Goudy Kochanski Voussoir A wedge-shaped stone used in the construction of an arch or vault. Image courtesy of Gayle Goudy Kochanski Westwork In a Carolingian or Romanesque church, the towerlike west end, often containing an entrance vestibule surmounted by a large room open to the nave. Image courtesy of Gail Gould Gothic Glossary Athena Review, Vol. 4, No. 2 Glossary: Gothic Art and Architecture Altar: Elevated structure located in the choir at the east end of the church, where religious rites are performed (fig.1). Ambulatory: Passageways surrounding the central part of the choir, which is often a continuation of the side aisles (fig.1,5).

The most common design of the Gothic era was the double ambulatory surrounded by semi-circular radiating chapels such as at the Abbey Church of Saint-Denis. Apse: Semi-circular vaulted structure at the east end of the church at the termination of the choir (fig.1). Arcade: An arch or a series of arches supported by piers or columns (fig.6) Arch: Curved masonry construction that spans an opening such as a portal or window. Pointed arches were a feature of the Gothic era, that evolved from the round Romanesque arches.See Gothic Architecture. [ Fig.1: Plan of the interior at the Cathedral of St-Gervais and St-Protais (after Gonet 1998)]. Archivolt: A series of decorated, recessed arches spanning an opening such as a portal (fig.3, B). Baldachin: ornamental canopy covering statues (fig.3, F). Balustrade: A railing with symmetrical supports. Bay: A major vertical division of a large, interior wall. There are usually more than one, such as a nave that is divided into seven bays (fig.1).

Buttress/Abutment System: A projecting or free-standing support built into or against the exterior wall of a cathedral, which steadies the structure by opposing the lateral thrusts from the vaults. The appearance of double span flying buttresses first occurred at Saint-Denis (fig.2, B). Canopy: A decorated rooflike projection or a richly decorated baldachin over a statue (fig.3, F). Capital: Architectural element that surmounts a column or any other vertical support (fig.5, B). Chancel: Space around the altar of a church that is usually intended for the clergy (fig.1). From the Latin cancellus for "railing." Chevet: Apse built as radiating chapels outside of the choir aisle, and the resulting, more complicated structure became known as the chevet at the beginning of the 13th century. [ Fig.2: North transept of the Abbey Church of Saint-Denis showing A)tower; B) Double Span Flying Buttresses; C) Gothic rose window with tracery; D) Lancet windows (photo: Athena Review)].

Choir: Part of the church east of the crossing, usually occupied by the priests and singers of the choir (fig.1). From the Latin chorus for a "singing group." Clerestory: Windowed area of the church above the side aisles and above the wall of the central part of the nave (fig.6). Colonnades: A series of columns supporting either arches or an entablature, and usually one side of a roof. These were common architectural features of Early Roman churches. Colonettes: Small, thin columns, often used for decoration or to support an arcade. Column: Slender vertical support having either a cylindrical or polygonal shaft, and which always has a base and a capital. Crossing: Space where the transept intersects with the nave along the main axis of the church (fig.1). Crypt: Low room underneath the choir of the church used as a sepulchral vault. From the Greek kryptós meaning "hidden." Examples include the crypt at Notre-Dame in Paris . Embrasure: An opening in a thick wall for a portal or window, especially one with angled sides, so that the opening is larger on the inside than the outside.

From the Old French embraser for "to cut at a slant." Effigy: A sculptured representation of a figure such as in the recumbent effigies of dead kings at the Abbey Church of Saint-Denis. Façade: The front of the cathedral (fig.1). During the Gothic era, the west façade at the entranceway was noted for its three sculptured portals, and crowning rose window flanked by two towers. Starting with Saint-Denis, this became a feature of Gothic cathedrals. Finial: Small ornament located on top of a pinnacle or gable. Foil: Circular segments combined concentrically with other foils to form the tracery used in rose windows (fig.2, fig.4, B) The foil is usually used in groups such as trefoil or quatrefoil. Foliated frieze: A panel decorated with carved foliage or leaves, found below the upper molding or cornice of a wall, and sometimes spanning the whole interior of the church. Gable: Triangular portion of a wall fronting the enclosing lines of a sloping roof, which often contains sculptures (fig.3, A). Gallery: Covered corridor in an upper story overlooking the nave.

A traverse gallery crosses both sides of the church and a tribune gallery is the elevated part of a gallery which contains seats. [ Fig.3: Central portal of the West façade of Amiens showing A) gable; B) pointed archivolt; C) tympanum; D) lintel; E) trumeau; F) canopy above a carved cornerpiece; G)jambs; H) socles (photo:Athena Review)]. Gallery of Kings: Statues of kings in sequence, located either under baldachins (ornamental canopies) or encircling the base of the towers of the west façade of Gothic cathedrals. Examples include the 63 giant statues of kings at Reims, and the Kings of Judah at Notre-Dame in Paris. Gargoyles: A water sprout terminating in a grotesquely carved figure of a human or animal, and projecting from the gutter of a cathedral such as Notre-Dame in Paris. Iconographic scheme/program: The specific arrangement of sculptures, which symbolically represent a religious event or saint's life on the sculptured portals of Gothic cathedrals.

Examples include the narrative portrayal of the Annunciation, Visitation, and Presentation at Reims Cathedral. Impost: Slab above a column capital at the point of the spring of an arch. Jamb: One of a pair of vertical posts or pieces, that together form the sides of a portal, which often contains sculptures (fig.3, G). The individual columns can also be referred to as jambshafts, which often support an arch or vault. From the Old French jambe for "pier" or "sidepost of a door." Keystone: Stone in the form of wedge forming the central element of a lintel, vault, or arch. Pendant keystones are found at the intersection of ribbed vaults. Originally from the Latin clavis for "key." Labyrinth: Intricate combination of paths and passageways, often located in the nave of a cathedral, marked by floor tiles sometimes engraved with the names of the cathedral architects. Pilgrims would follow the torturous path on their knees; see Chartres . Lancet window: A narrow window with sharp pointed arches. Starting with Amiens, lancets were often subdivided into two and topped by a smaller rose window.

Prior to this, lancets were typically surmounted by an oculus or round opening (fig.2, D; fig.4, D). Lintel: Horizontal architectural member in wood or stone that supports the weight above an opening (fig.3, D). Marmosets: Grotesque human and animal figures sculpted in stone, often underlying jamb figures. From the Old French word marmouset (1280). At the end of the 15th century, the same word was used to describe small squirrel-like monkeys of the New World. Martyrium: An edifice built over the site of a tomb of a martyr frequently became the site of cathedrals. Moldings: Long narrow, often decorated bands found on other architectural features such as cornices or bases. Mosan goldsmiths: A 12th century workshop located in the Meuse valley of Belgium and northern France that produced high quality gold, silver, and enameled objects, with naturalistic human figures. These are thought to have influenced the figurative stone sculptures adorning the façades of Gothic cathedrals (Williamson 1995).

Examples include the reliquary of Cologne by Nicolas of Verdun and the gold cross made for Abbot Suger . [ Fig. 4: Lancet Window (D) of Reims Cathedral surmounted by an oculus (A) with six lobed foils (B). Tabernacle pinnacles (C) flank both sides of the lancet window and contain sculptures of saints and angels (photo: Athena Review)]. Mullion: The vertical dividing bar of a rose or lancet window (fig.6). Narthex: Beginning with Early Christian architecture, this was the gallery, vestibule, or porch located in the main (west) entrance of the church (fig.1). Naturalism: Style of art treating drapery, bodily movements, and facial expressions as they might appear in nature or real life. Sculptures carved in the Gothic era showed considerably more naturalism than in the Romanesque or Byzantine eras ( see Gothic sculpture ). Nave: The middle aisle or multiple main aisled part of a church extending from the narthex or main entrance to the choir (fig.1). The congregation usually sits here.

Oculus: A small circular opening, and which was a precursor of the Gothic rose window (fig.4, A). Openwork gablet: Gable-shaped motif above portals and windows, often containing tracery decorations as well as pinnacles and finials. Pier: A masonry support between openings such as arcades. Typically slender, the pier has a rectangular, polygonal, or round cross-section, but does not taper and often has no capital (fig.6). The pier may also have a base as well as an impost. A compound pier is a pier with two or more members or support elements. Pillar: A support which does not taper, has an impost, and does not need to be cylindrical as is the case with a column. The shaft consists of either rectangular, octagonal, circular, or cruciform blocks and may have a capital (fig.5, A). Pinnacle: Small narrow pointed tower capping buttresses and openwork gablets or portals and galleries. Portal: The door or entrance of a cathedral (fig.3).

Fig.5: Pillars (A) with capitals (B) and quatri-partite vaulting (D) containing keystones (C) of the ambulatory of the Cathedral of St-Gervais and St-Protais at Soissons (photo: Athena Review)]. Portico: A gallery which opens onto the exterior of the church and is supported by columns. From the Latin porticus for "arcade" or "gallery." Radiating (Apsidal) chapels: Series of chapels arranged around an ambulatory in the apse of a cathedral (fig.1). Reliquary: A container, often richly ornamented, holding the remains of a saint which can be displayed to the faithful. Rood screen/Jube: A stone or wooden screen, which separated the choir of the church where the clergy sits from the nave where the congregation sits (fig.1). Rose window: A large round window on the west façade or transept, containing tracery that became more elaborate as the Gothic era progressed (fig.2, C). Beautiful examples occur at Notre-Dame in Paris and Chartres.

Socles: Architectural term referring to the lower panels of a portal, often located under the jamb figures. The reliefs were often quatrefoil, and typically portrayed such pagan themes as the Signs of the Zodiac and the Virtues and Vices (fig.3, H). Spire: A sharply pointed pyramidal structure surmounting a tower. Spandrel: An area between two adjoining arches, often decorated. Stained glass: Colored windows of Gothic cathedrals made from a combination of many pieces of colored and semi-transparent white glass joined together with lead strips. Colors were generated by adding specific metal oxides, which illuminated the glass with bright red, blue, green, and yellow tones. The function of stained glass was to fill the cathedral with light in windows which also fulfilled a narrative and illustrative purpose, in representing Biblical events and the lives of saints. Patrons and workers guilds who helped fund the construction of the cathedral were also portrayed (see Chartres ). Tabernacle: a canopied niche holding a sculpted figure, such as the rendering of saints and angels on the façade and transept of Reims cathedral (fig.4, C).

Tracery: Geometrically constructed building ornament such as a foil found in the upper part of Gothic rose windows (fig.2, C). This type of stonework decoration became more complex during the High Gothic and Flamboyant phase. Transept: Any major transverse part of the church, usually crossing the nave and at right angles with the entrance of the choir (fig.1). The transept may be divided into areas of different height. Triforium: Space or passage above the nave arcade, below the clerestory, and extending over the ceiling or vaults of the side aisle (fig.6). A blind triforium does not contain a passageway and blind arches are placed in front of the wall such as at Amiens. A false triforium has arcades which open to the roof. A pierced triforium contains windows in the outer walls of the passageway. Trumeau: Stone pillar or column supporting the tympanum of a portal at its center (fig.3, E).

[ Fig.6: Drawing of the nave at Reims cathedral showing the clerestory, triforium, and the nave arcades (after M.Alexander, 2003)]. Tympanum: A triangular space between an arch and the horizontal bar of a portal or window (lintel), often decorated with sculpture (fig.3,C). Vaulting: A curved, self supporting wall or ceiling that covers a space between two walls and rests on pillars. Romanesque antecedents of the Gothic ribbed vault are the barrel vault and the groined vault. The ribbed vault is composed of diagonally arched ribs and can be classified as tri-partite, quatri-partite (fig.5, D), or sexpartite. Sexpartite vaults have an additional transversal rib in the center of the bay ( see Gothic architecture ). Voussoirs: Any of the pieces, in the shape of a truncated wedge, that make up an arch or vault. References: Binding, G. 2002. High Gothic: The Age of the Great Cathedrals. Cologne, Taschen. Bony, J. 1983.

French Gothic Architectures of the 12th and 13th centuries. Berkeley, Los Angeles, and London, University of California Press. Michelin Travel Publications. 2001. The Green Guide. Northern France and the Paris Region. France. Williamson, P. 1995. Gothic Sculpture. New Haven and London, Yale University Press. This glossary appears on pages 109-111 of Vol.4 No.2 of Athena Review. The complete text may be obtained in the printed version of the magazine . For original, comprehensive illustrations of ancients sites and monuments, visit Athena Review Image Archive ® Copyright 1996-2006 Athena Publications, Inc (All Rights Reserved) <> Lancet - definition of lancet by The Free Dictionary Lancet - definition of lancet by The Free Dictionary Related to lancet: BMJ , JAMA lan·cet n. 1. Medicine a. A surgical knife with a short, wide, pointed double-edged blade, used especially for making punctures and small incisions. Also called lance. b.

A small needle used to prick the skin, as to obtain blood samples for testing blood glucose levels, especially one designed to fit into a specially designed lancing device. 2. Architecture [Middle English, from Old French, diminutive of lance, lance; see lance .] lancet 1. (Tools) Also called: lance a pointed surgical knife with two sharp edges 2. (Surgery) Also called: lance a pointed surgical knife with two sharp edges 3. (Architecture) short for lancet arch , lancet window [C15 lancette, from Old French: small lance] lan•cet 1. a sharp-pointed surgical instrument, usu. with two edges, for making small incisions. 2. [1375–1425; late Middle English lancette < Middle French. See lance , -et ] ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend: Gothic arch - a pointed arch; usually has a joint (instead of a keystone) at the apex 2.

surgical knife - a very sharp knife used in surgery Translations lancet window N → ventana f ojival lancet [ˈlɑːnsɪt] n (MEDICINE) → bistouri m lancet [ˈlɑːnsɪt] n (Med) → bisturi m inv lan·cet v. abrir con una lanceta. lancet n lanceta; diabetic — lanceta para diabéticos; — device lancetero Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us , add a link to this page, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content . Link to this page: View in context He had evidently been schooling himself as to all sorts of little things, and remembered them, but he almost managed to sit down on his silk hat, which men don't generally do when they are cool, and then when he wanted to appear at ease he kept playing with a lancet in a way that made me nearly scream.

View in context The Doctor still read from cover to cover his Lancet and his Medical Journal, attended all professional gatherings, worked himself into an alternate state of exaltation and depression over the results of the election of officers, and reserved for himself a den of his own, in which before rows of little round bottles full of glycerine, Canadian balsam, and staining agents, he still cut sections with a microtome, and peeped through his long, brass, old-fashioned microscope at the arcana of nature.

Question: In architecture, what is a lancet?
Answer: A window