narthex
Americannoun
noun
-
a portico at the west end of a basilica or church, esp one that is at right angles to the nave
-
a rectangular entrance hall between the porch and nave of a church
Other Word Forms
- narthecal adjective
Etymology
Origin of narthex
1665–75; < Late Greek nárthēx, Greek: giant fennel
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Instead, on Sundays, he worshipped in the narthex at the back of Camden First United Methodist Church, separated from the rest of the congregation, with his family at his side in folding chairs.
From Seattle Times • Dec. 29, 2022
About 60 floor tiles emblazoned with swastika-style crosses are interspersed with the red tiles in the church’s narthex, or entrance.
From Washington Times • Mar. 13, 2016
The Rev. John McDaniel will dedicate the narthex and welcome center.
From Washington Post • Feb. 5, 2016
The church’s documents had been kept in a narthex cloakroom for years, but were recently moved into a locked fireproof file cabinet.
From New York Times • Jul. 29, 2014
Thereupon the Ecthesis was attached publicly to the narthex of Sancta Sophia.
From The Formation of Christendom, Volume VII by Allies, Thomas W.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
