narthex

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Jump to navigation Jump to search
See also: Narthex

English[edit]

English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Etymology[edit]

From Ancient Greek νάρθηξ (nárthēx, giant fennel), later ‘casket’ (modern Greek νάρθηκας (nárthikas)), a Pre-Greek word, as suggested by the suffix. See also νάρδος (nárdos, nard).

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

narthex (plural narthexes or narthices)

  1. (architecture) A western vestibule leading to the nave in some Christian churches.
    • 1942, Rebecca West, Black Lamb and Grey Falcon, Canongate, published 2006, page 637:
      we were in the antechamber, called the narthex, which runs across the front of any Byzantine church [...].
    • 2007, Edwin Mullins, The Popes of Avignon, Blue Bridge, published 2008, page 87:
      One of these was Cardinal Jacopo Stefaneschi, [...] who had now conceived ambitious plans for paintings to decorate the entire narthex, or entrance porch, of Avignon's ancient cathedral.
    • 2012, Melissa F. Miller, chapter 42, in Irretrievably Broken (The Sasha McCandless Series), e-book edition, volume 1, Brown Street Books, →ISBN, page 11642:
      “Cinco,” Marco bellowed now, hurrying across the narthex to give him a hearty handshake, which Cinco returned without enthusiasm.

Derived terms[edit]

Translations[edit]