entasis means A slight convex curvature introduced into the shaft of a column for aesthetic reasons, or to compensate for the illusion of concavity. It carries an Arena rating of 1654, earned across 44 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, entasis ranks #170 of 13,218 for Most Ingenious Words, #230 of 13,218 for Most Exacting Words, #512 of 13,218 for Most Elegant Words, #1,707 of 13,218 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words.
entasis is pronounced /ˈɛntəsɪs/.
Why “entasis” is a great word
ENTASIS — [Noun] A slight convex curvature intentionally built into the shaft of a column to correct the optical illusion of concavity and enhance aesthetic appeal. From Latin *entasis*, from Ancient Greek ἔντασις (éntasis, "tension, straining"), from ἐντείνω (enteínō, "to stretch or strain tight"). First attested in English in the mid-1700s. Unlike “taper,” which denotes a uniform narrowing, or “straightness,” which insists on geometric purity, entasis is a subtle, compensatory swell. It is the breath held in a marble shaft, the tensile bulge that makes stone seem to strain, and the invisible correction that makes a line look true. It is the quiet lie that tells a deeper visual truth.
Etymology
From Latin entasis, from Ancient Greek ἔντασις (éntasis, “tension, straining”), from ἐντείνω (enteínō, “to stretch or strain tight”).
noun
- A slight convex curvature introduced into the shaft of a column for aesthetic reasons, or to compensate for the illusion of concavity.“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.”
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- pilaster 82% match — A rectangular column that projects partially from the wall to which it is attached; it gives the appearance of a support, but is only for decoration. vs entasis →
- caryatid 82% match — A sculpted female figure serving as an architectural support taking the place of a column or a pillar supporting an entablature on her head. vs entasis →
- architrave 81% match — The lowest part of an entablature; rests on the capitals of the columns. vs entasis →
- peristyle 80% match — A colonnade surrounding a courtyard, temple, etc., or the yard enclosed by such columns. vs entasis →
- ovolo 80% match — A classical convex moulding carved with an egg and dart ornament. vs entasis →
- entablature 79% match — All of that part of a classical temple above the capitals of the columns; includes the architrave, frieze, and cornice but not the roof. vs entasis →
- oculus 78% match — A window or other opening that has an oval or circular shape (as of an eye).; The central boss of a volute. vs entasis →
- cymatium 78% match — A molding on the cornice, above the corona, often having a wavelike form (cyma). vs entasis →