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

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

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

The entasis of columns and curvature of what would ordinarily be straight lines is familiar to all students of architecture.

From The Brochure Series of Architectural Illustration, Volume 01, No. 08, August 1895 Fragments of Greek Detail by Various

This outward curvature of the profile is termed an entasis and in the Parthenon column, which is thirty-four feet in height, amounted to about three-fourths of an inch.

From Visual Illusions Their Causes, Characteristics and Applications by Matthew Luckiesh

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