antefix
Americannoun
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antefixes,
plural
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antefixa
plural
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an upright ornament at the eaves of a tiled roof, to conceal the foot of a row of convex tiles that cover the joints of the flat tiles.
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an ornament above the top molding of a cornice.
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of antefix
First recorded in 1825–35; from Latin antefīxa, neuter plural of antefīxus “fastened in front,” equivalent to ante- “before” + fīxus, past participle of fīgere “to fix”; see origin at ante-, fix
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Its gable wall is topped by an antefix cross with bifid branches.
From Romanesque Art in Southern Manche: Album by Marie Lebert
The antefix has the breadth of a hole and one eighth, and the thickness of one hole.
From The Ten Books on Architecture by Vitruvius Pollio
In ancient Etruscan civilization, antefixes were lively terra-cotta objects that often depicted female figures crowned by diadems, a jeweled crown or headband.
From New York Times ● Nov. 17, 2021
The antefixes were seized on Aug. 4, 2021, from a New York collector who had purchased them on the market.
From New York Times ● Nov. 17, 2021
The roof around the compluvium was edged with a row of highly ornamented tiles, called antefixes, on which a mask or some other figure was moulded.
From Museum of Antiquity A Description of Ancient Life by T. L. (Thomas Louis) Haines
It is an impressive round-fronted classic structure of gray stone in the Corinthian order, with a semicircular colonnade above the first story supporting a handsomely executed entablature with conspicuous antefixes about the cornice.
From The Colonial Architecture of Philadelphia by Frank Cousins
The compluvium also was ornamented with a row of triangular tiles called antefixes, on which a mask or some other object was moulded in relief.
From Museum of Antiquity A Description of Ancient Life by T. L. (Thomas Louis) Haines
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