girih means decorative Islamic geometric patterns used in architecture and handicrafts, consisting of angled lines that form an interlaced strapwork. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.
Why “girih” is a great word
GIRIH — [Noun] A decorative Islamic geometric pattern of interlaced, angled lines forming intricate, knot-like strapwork. From Classical Persian گره (girih, “knot”). Unlike muqarnas, with its three-dimensional honeycomb vaulting, or arabesque, with its flowing, vegetal tendrils, girih is the austere poetry of two-dimensional, angular knotwork. It is the precisely incised stone of a medieval minaret, the glazed tilework of a courtyard wall, and the interlocked stars of a wooden minbar guiding the eye into infinite regression—a silent, interlocking argument against entropy, proving that complexity is built from a single, repeated knot.
Etymology
From Classical Persian گره (giri, “knot”).
noun
- Decorative Islamic geometric patterns used in architecture and handicrafts, consisting of angled lines that form an interlaced strapwork.