nave
Americannoun
noun
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of nave
First recorded in 1665–75; from Medieval Latin nāvis, Latin: “ship”; so called from the resemblance in shape
Explanation
When a bride walks down the aisle in a church, she is walking down the nave, or central area of the church. The word nave comes from the Latin navis, meaning "ship." If you think of the central space of a big Gothic church with its high vaulted ceiling, it does kind of form the shape of a ship, doesn't it? The nave is the area where the congregation sits. It's usually rectangular in shape and filled with rows of benches.
Vocabulary lists containing nave
Built To Last: Architectural Parlance
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30 GRE Words Beginning with "K" "L""M" and "N" and "O"
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"St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves" by Karen Russell
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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.
See Examples For:
In the south aisle of the nave is also an elaborate wall monument commemorating John, 1st Lord Henniker who was buried at the cathedral in 1803.
From BBC ● Jun. 18, 2026
Inside, the central nave is an engineering wonder that resembles a stone forest.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 7, 2026
For example, archaeologist Cédric Moulis of the University of Lorraine painstakingly reassembled dozens of wedge-shaped stones called voussoirs recovered from the collapsed vaulted ceiling over the nave to glean insights into their mechanical properties.
From Science Magazine ● Dec. 5, 2024
More than 6,000 tonnes of steel were used to build the nave.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 3, 2024
One is a Mass he wrote for Reims Cathedral, newly rebuilt but subsequently destroyed in the French Revolution, and which, as it happens, had a complex maze set into its nave.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
Looming over the colorless town is its hulking circa-1385 monastery, extended in convent courtyards and stately chapels with lofty naves, offering dazzling displays of stained glass.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 27, 2026
I’ve seen party tents double as retail shops, church naves, gymnasiums and outdoor living rooms.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 15, 2021
The figurines, which will remain in place until January, have been suspended in nets hanging in the tower and naves of St Giles' Parish Church in Wrexham.
From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2021
The American networks were also largely genial, discussing floral design, Princess Diana, naves and what defines a “morning suit.”
From New York Times ● May 19, 2018
Once in, I paid litde attention to the architecture, although I knew the terms: clerestories and naves were things I’d written papers about.
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
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.
