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

Example Sentences

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

In some early Doric temples, as the one at Assos in Asia Minor, there is no entasis.

From A History of Greek Art by Tarbell, Frank Bigelow

This, the most pleasing of all the renaissance cloisters in Portugal, has four arches on each side resting on fluted columns which though taller than usual in cloisters, have no entasis.

From Portuguese Architecture by Watson, Walter Crum

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 Tarbell, Frank Bigelow

This is called the entasis of the spire, and belongs to the study of optics in architecture.

From Our Homeland Churches and How to Study Them by Heath, Sidney