echinus

American  

[ih-kahy-nuhs] / ɪˈkaɪ nəs /

noun

echini plural

1. any sea urchin of the genus Echinus.

2. Architecture.

   1. an ovolo molding, especially one having an outline with several radii or one carved with an egg-and-dart pattern.

   2. the prominent circular molding supporting the abacus of a Doric or Tuscan capital.

   3. Also called cymatium.  the circular molding, usually carved with an egg-and-dart pattern, forming part of an Ionic capital between the volutes and under the balteus.

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echinus British  

/ ɪˈkaɪnəs /

noun

1. architect an ovolo moulding between the shaft and the abacus of a Doric column

2. any of the sea urchins of the genus Echinus, such as E. esculentus ( edible sea urchin ) of the Mediterranean

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• echini
  plural

Etymology

Origin of echinus

1325–75; Middle English < Latin < Greek echînos hedgehog, sea urchin

Example Sentences

The beak opens and shuts at intervals, like the jaws of the pedicellari� of the echinus, and there is altogether, in general principle, a remarkable similarity between the structures.

From On the Genesis of Species by Mivart, St. George

The echinus, or sea-urchin, is another species of the class and order vermes, mollusca.

From Antigua and the Antiguans, Volume II (of 2) A full account of the colony and its inhabitants from the time of the Caribs to the present day by Anonymous

These shafts, as also the echinus moulding of the capitals, are richly carved with the chevron and spirals, probably copied from the brass sheathing of wood columns and doorways referred to by Homer.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Slice 4 "Aram, Eugene" to "Arcueil" by Various

The projection of the echinus beyond the fillet of the abacus should be equal to the size of the eye.

From The Ten Books on Architecture by Vitruvius Pollio

The upward force is manifest primarily in the vertical columns, and is emphasized there by the flutings, the slight progressive narrowing toward the top, and the inward effort of the necking just below the echinus.

From The Principles of Aesthetics by Parker, Dewitt H.