horseshoe arch

American  

noun

1. an arch with the intrados widening above the springing and then narrowing to a rounded crown.

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horseshoe arch British  

noun

1. an arch formed in the shape of a horseshoe, esp as used in Moorish architecture

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Etymology

Origin of horseshoe arch

First recorded in 1805–15

Example Sentences

Here we may see one more monument of the Moors, a horseshoe arch, once a part of the Mosque.

From The Story of Seville by Hartley, C. Gasquoine (Catherine Gasquoine)

The great original feature of the Mooresque architecture is found in the famous horseshoe arch, which was used so extensively in their mosques and palaces.

From History of Human Society by Blackmar, Frank W. (Frank Wilson)

It is, perhaps, worthy of record that the inverted horseshoe arch more nearly approximates what is commonly considered the Moorish form; or, to give it a wider locale, Mediterranean, at least.

From The Cathedrals of Northern France by McManus, Blanche

Its ceiling, which described the horseshoe arch of the Saracens, was encrusted with that honeycomb work which is peculiar to them, and which, in the present instance, was of rose colour and silver.

From Tancred Or, The New Crusade by Disraeli, Benjamin, Earl of Beaconsfield

And as on that day so on this, in the alcove under the horseshoe arch sat Ben Aboo and his Spanish wife.

From The Scapegoat; a romance and a parable by Caine, Hall, Sir