peristylium

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin peristylium.

Noun

peristylium (plural peristyliums or peristylia)

1. (chiefly in ancient Roman contexts) A peristyle.

   Synonym: peristylum

   • 1875, Ernst Guhl, W[ilhelm] Koner, translated by F. Hueffer, The Life of the Greeks and Romans, Described From Antique Monuments, London: Chapman and Hall, page 362:

     A similar design we find in the peristylium of the Casa della Caccia, or di Dedalo e Pasifae, but for its being still more irregular, owing to the want of a rectangular termination; the atrium of this house also is spacious, and perfectly regular.

   • 1886, S. Russell Forbes, Rambles in Naples: An Archaeological and Historical Guide to the Museums, Galleries, Villas, Churches, and Antiquities of Naples and Its Environs, 3rd edition, London: T. Nelson and Sons, page 62:

     This house, like many others at the time of the destruction of the city, was undergoing repairs—one of the sides of the peristylium being left unfrescoed, the other being finished.

   • 1941, Henryk Sienkiewicz, translated by Monica M[ary] Gardner, Quo Vadis?, London, New York, N.Y.: Dent; Dutton, page 430:

     Yet still the peristylia of lordly mansions were decked with flowers and wreathed with ivy, for it was forbidden to manifest any signs of grief.

   • 1964, LeGette Blythe, Man on Fire, New York, N.Y.: Funk & Wagnalls Company, page 343:

     "If she should discover that I had enlisted with slaves and shopkeepers in the Galilean's fellowship"—Claudia shrugged, left unfinished her observation. She crossed the mosaic of the terrace's paving and entered the peristylium.

   • 2016, Alan Smale, Eagle in Exile (The Clash of Eagles; 2), London: Titan Books, →ISBN, page 435:

     Escorted back to the Praetorium building two hours later wearing a simple Roman tunic, Marcellinus was ushered into a peristylium area, a small courtyard open to the sky surrounded by a portico of rough wooden columns.

References

• “peristylium, n.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.

Latin

in peristȳliō (in the peristyle).

Etymology

From Ancient Greek περιστῡ́λιον (peristū́lion).

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /pe.risˈtyː.li.um/, [pɛrɪs̠ˈt̪yːlʲiʊ̃ˑ]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /pe.risˈti.li.um/, [perisˈt̪iːlium]

Noun

peristȳlium n (genitive peristȳliī or peristȳlī); second declension

1. a peristyle, an open interior space surrounded by columns.

Declension

Second-declension noun (neuter).

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	peristȳlium	peristȳlia
Genitive	peristȳliī peristȳlī1	peristȳliōrum
Dative	peristȳliō	peristȳliīs
Accusative	peristȳlium	peristȳlia
Ablative	peristȳliō	peristȳliīs
Vocative	peristȳlium	peristȳlia

¹Found in older Latin (until the Augustan Age).

Related terms

• peristȳlum

Descendants

• English: peristyle
• Italian: peristilio

References

• “peristylium”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• peristylium in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• “peristylium”, in William Smith et al., editor (1890), A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, London: William Wayte. G. E. Marindin