entasis

American  

[en-tuh-sis] / ˈɛn tə sɪs /

noun

Architecture.

1. a slight convexity given to a column or tower, as to correct an optical illusion.

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entasis British  

/ ˈɛntəsɪs /

noun

1. a slightly convex curve given to the shaft of a column, pier, or similar structure, to correct the illusion of concavity produced by a straight shaft

2. Also called: entasia. physiol an involuntary or spasmodic muscular contraction

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Etymology

Origin of entasis

1745–55; < Greek, equivalent to enta- (variant stem of enteínein to stretch tight, equivalent to en- en- ² + teínein to stretch) + -sis -sis

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

entasis

The ancient Greeks made their columns bulge out slightly about a third of the way up to correct for the optical illusion of concavity — a technique known as entasis.

From Washington Post

The entasis from the temple of Mars Ultor in Rome compared with Vignola's rule for entasis.

From The Ten Books on Architecture by Vitruvius Pollio

The diminution of the shaft is naturally less than in the Doric, and the entasis, where any has been detected, is exceedingly slight.

From A History of Greek Art by Frank Bigelow Tarbell

A column of the Parthenon, with its inclination, its tapering, its entasis, and its fluting, could not have been constructed without the most conscientious skill.

From A History of Greek Art by Frank Bigelow Tarbell

And they are an illustration of what was a marked characteristic of all classic architecture, which shows a slight curvature or entasis in its long lines.

From Roman Mosaics Or, Studies in Rome and Its Neighbourhood by Hugh Macmillan

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