acroterium

American  

[ak-ruh-teer-ee-uhm] / ˌæk rəˈtɪər i əm /

noun

Architecture.

plural

acroteria

1. a pedestal for a sculpture or ornament at each base or at the apex of a pediment.

---

Other Word Forms

• acroteral adjective
• acroterial adjective

Etymology

Origin of acroterium

Latinization of acroterion

Example Sentences

The house had grown a story higher; and the tiled roof, now surmounted by a bronze acroterium, projected an intact outline against the light blue of the sky, where a few stars were growing pale.

From One of Cleopatra's Nights and Other Fantastic Romances One of Cleopatra's Nights?Clarimonde?Arria Marcella?The Mummy's Foot?Omphale: a Rococo Story?King Candaules by Gautier, Th?ophile

The term is often restricted to the plinth, which forms the podium merely for the acroterium.

From The Project Gutenberg Encyclopedia Volume 1 of 28 by Project Gutenberg

In the great acroterium of the Heraion, for example, the surface was first covered with a dark varnish-like coating on which the drawing was incised down to the original clay.

From The American Journal of Archaeology, 1893-1 by Various

Fortunately a notable example has been preserved in the acroterium of the gable of the Heraion at Olympia, 51 a great disk of clay over seven feet in diameter.

From The American Journal of Archaeology, 1893-1 by Various

The pediment and acroterium were adorned with statues—scarcely, however, to be distinguished at that distance.

From Jovinian A Story of the Early Days of Papal Rome by Kingston, William Henry Giles