supercilium

American  

[soo-per-sil-ee-uhm] / ˌsu pərˈsɪl i əm /

noun

Architecture.

plural

supercilia

1. the fillet above the cyma of a cornice.

2. (on an Attic base) either of the fillets above and below the scotia.

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Etymology

Origin of supercilium

1555–65; < Latin: eyebrow, haughtiness, equivalent to super- super- + -cilium eyelid, akin to cēlāre to conceal, English hull ¹, Greek kaliá hut, shrine; -ium

Example Sentences

Another is praised for the masses of her dark hair: Frons nimirum coronata, supercilium nigrata.

From Wine, Women, and Song Mediaeval Latin Students' songs; Now first translated into English verse by Symonds, John Addington

DESCRIPTION.—A more robust and thick-set animal than the two last; deep, woolly, black fur; no white supercilium nor white round the face.

From Natural History of the Mammalia of India and Ceylon by Sterndale, Robert Armitage

Fortunae malim adversae tolerare procellas;   Quam domini ingentis ferre supercilium.

From Dr. Johnson's Works: Life, Poems, and Tales, Volume 1 The Works of Samuel Johnson, Ll.D., in Nine Volumes by Johnson, Samuel

It is neither more nor less than the word "supercilious," which is derived from supercilium, the Latin for "eyebrow," as I heard the Little Schoolma'am tell the children not long ago.

From St. Nicholas, Vol. 5, No. 2, December, 1877 by Various

Malo Venusinam, quam te, Cornelia, Mater Gracchorum, si cum magnis virtutibus affers Grande supercilium, et numeras in dote triumphos.

From The Spectator, Volume 2. by Addison, Joseph