cymatium

[ si-mey-shee-uh m, sahy- ]

/ sɪˈmeɪ ʃi əm, saɪ- /

noun, plural cy·ma·ti·a [si-mey-shee-uh, sahy-] /sɪˈmeɪ ʃi ə, saɪ-/. Architecture.

the uppermost member of a classical cornice or of a cornice of similar form: usually a cyma recta in classical examples.Compare sima²

echinus(def 2c).

Nearby words

cyma recta, cyma reversa, cymaise, cymar, cymation, cymatium, cymbal, cymbalo, cymbalom, cymbalon, cymbals

Origin of cymatium

1555–65; < Latin < Greek kȳmátion, equivalent to kȳmat- (stem of kŷma wave; see cyma) + -ion diminutive suffix

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for cymatium

The style of carving of the cymatium with its astragal should be the Lesbian.
Ten Books on Architecture|Vitruvius
This head, is worked from a block which forms the springing stone of both the cymatium and the corona of the pediment.
A Catalogue of Sculpture in the Department of Greek and Roman Antiquities, British Museum, Volume I (of 2)|A. H. Smith
Let the corona and its cymatium at the top of all be carved without ornamentation, and have a projection equal to its height.
Ten Books on Architecture|Vitruvius
It forms the crowning feature of the Egyptian temples, and took the place of the cymatium in many of the Etruscan temples.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 5|Various

When the crowning moulding of an entablature is of the cyma form, it is called a “cymatium.”
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 8|Various

British Dictionary definitions for cymatium

cymatium

/ (sɪˈmeɪtɪəm, -ʃɪəm) /

noun plural -tia (-tɪə, -ʃɪə)

architect the top moulding of a classical cornice or entablature

Word Origin for cymatium

C16: see cyma

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012