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:
As a viewer marches down the nave toward the high altar, the apostles also come into view, on a trompe l’oeil ledge.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 9, 2026
A second one, focussing on the central nave, is being planned next.
From BBC ● Dec. 23, 2024
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
Born in New York City into an observant Jewish family, he owns a small timber framing business in rural New England and admits that until recently he didn’t even know what a nave was.
From New York Times ● Mar. 29, 2024
There was nowhere to hide, even if one did not nave to go on.
From "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding
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.
