skewback

[ skyoo-bak ]
/ ˈskyuˌbæk /

noun Architecture.

a sloping surface against which the end of an arch rests.
a stone, course of masonry, or the like, presenting such a surface.

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DO YOU KNOW THIS VOCABULARY FROM "THE HANDMAID'S TALE"?

"The Handmaid's Tale" was required reading for many of us in school. Everyone else has probably watched the very popular and addictive TV show. Do you remember this vocabulary from the book, and do you know what these terms mean?
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decorum
the act of or need for making up one's mind.
dignified propriety of behavior, speech, dress, etc.
a company of singers, especially an organized group employed in church service.
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Origin of skewback

First recorded in 1695–1705; skew + back1

OTHER WORDS FROM skewback

skew·backed, adjective

Words nearby skewback

skew arch, skew field, skew lines, skew symmetry, skew-symmetric, skewback, skewbald, skewer, skewerwood, skewgee, skewing
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

British Dictionary definitions for skewback

skewback
/ (ˈskjuːˌbæk) /

noun

the sloping surface on both sides of a segmental arch that takes the thrust
one or more stones that provide such a surface

Derived forms of skewback

skewbacked, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012