epistyle

epistyle — noun

1. In classical architecture, the long horizontal block that sits immediately on to

1.名詞C2
釋義

In classical architecture, the long horizontal block that sits immediately on top of the columns, forming the lowest part of the entablature — for example, the stone beam that runs across the front of a Greek temple above the column capitals.

例句

Theo ran his fingers along the temple's weathered epistyle, feeling grooves carved two thousand years ago.

epistyle of + [temple/building]

Architecture students measured the temple's epistyle to study how its proportions created visual balance.

countable noun with 'the' + of-possessive

同義詞
  • architrave

    The standard term in modern architecture and construction; 'epistyle' is mostly used in classical and archaeological contexts.

  • lintel

    A general word for any horizontal beam over an opening; less specific than 'epistyle', which belongs to a defined structural system (columns + entablature).

文法句型

epistyle of + [building/structure]

用法筆記

This term is almost exclusively used in discussions of ancient Greek and Roman architecture. The more common everyday word for the same part is 'architrave'.

常見錯誤

❌The epistyle is the top part of the column.
✅The epistyle is the horizontal beam that rests on top of the columns, below the frieze.
💡The epistyle sits on the column capital, not at the top of the column itself.