Doric

[ dawr-ik, dor- ]

adjective

1. of or relating to Doris, its inhabitants, or their dialect.
2. rustic, as a dialect.
3. Architecture. noting or pertaining to one of the five classical orders, developed in Greece and altered by the Romans. The Greek Doric order consists typically of a channeled column without a base, having as a capital a circular echinus supporting a square abacus, above which come a plain architrave, a frieze of triglyphs and metopes, and a cornice, the corona of which has mutules on its soffit. In the Roman Doric order, the columns usually have bases, the channeling is sometimes altered or omitted, and the capital usually consists of three parts: a thick, bandlike necking, an echinus with an ovolo outline, and a molded abacus. Compare composite ( def 2 ), Corinthian ( def 2 ), Ionic ( def 1 ), Tuscan ( def 2 ).

noun

1. a dialect of ancient Greek spoken on Rhodes and other islands of the Dodecanese, in Crete, in Syracuse, and in all of the Peloponnesus except Arcadia.
2. rustic English speech.

Doric

/ ˈdɒrɪk /

adjective

1. of or relating to the Dorians, esp the Spartans, or their dialect of Ancient Greek
2. of, denoting, or relating to one of the five classical orders of architecture: characterized by a column having no base, a heavy fluted shaft, and a capital consisting of an ovolo moulding beneath a square abacus See also Ionic composite Corinthian Tuscan
3. sometimes not capital rustic

noun

1. one of four chief dialects of Ancient Greek, spoken chiefly in the Peloponnese Compare Aeolic Arcadic Ionic See also Attic
2. any rural dialect, esp that spoken in the northeast of Scotland

Doric

1. One of the three main styles of Greek architecture (the others are Corinthian and Ionic ). The Doric column is heavy and fluted; its capital is plain.

Other Words From

• pre-Doric adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of Doric¹

1555–65; < Latin Dōricus < Greek Dōrikós Dorian

Example Sentences

The later Doric was less massive than the earlier, but more rich in sculptured ornaments.

From Project Gutenberg

The fluting of the Doric column will thus be finished in the style appropriate to it.

From Project Gutenberg

Attic doorways are built with the same proportions as Doric.

From Project Gutenberg

Mr. Horbury would begin to instruct the form as to the difference between Ionic and Doric.

From Project Gutenberg

It is a fine specimen of the Doric order, and very fortunately it is in a good state of preservation.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• classic
• humanistic