exedra

American  

[ek-si-druh, ek-see-] / ˈɛk sɪ drə, ɛkˈsi- /

noun

plural

exedrae

1. (in ancient Greece and Rome) a room or covered area open on one side, used as a meeting place.

2. a permanent outdoor bench, semicircular in plan and having a high back.

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exedra British  

/ ˈɛksɪdrə, ɛkˈsiː- /

noun

1. a building, room, portico, or apse containing a continuous bench, used in ancient Greece and Rome for holding discussions

2. an outdoor bench in a recess

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Other Word Forms

• exedral adjective

Etymology

Origin of exedra

1700–10; < Latin: hall furnished with seats < Greek exédra (covered) walk with seats, equivalent to ex- ex- ³ + ( h ) édra seat, bench

Example Sentences

The exedra — a Greek term for what became a popular garden feature in the 18th century — has a statue of Eros at its center in commemoration of the Seilheimers’ 40th wedding anniversary.

From Washington Post • Sep. 24, 2020

A collaboration by Augustus Saint-Gaudens on an exedra designed by architect Stanford White, the statue, cast in 1880, stands above reliefs of two female figures representing Loyalty and Courage.

From New York Times • Sep. 23, 2018

It consists of an exedra and pedestal surmounted by a figure of Peace . . . backed by an illuminated cross.

From Time Magazine Archive

Lounging on an exedra was a young woman in a woolen chiton, barefoot and trifling with the Greek ampyx that bound her golden hair.

From The City of Delight A Love Drama of the Siege and Fall of Jerusalem by Leyendecker, Frank X.

Through this one entered a large open space, filled with votive offerings and containing a large exedra.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 10 "David, St" to "Demidov" by Various