Descriptionary

gingerbread an ornately decorated American house of the 19th century, reminiscent of the fairytale namesake.

Greek revival a revival of Greek and Roman forms early in 19th-century America and England; character­ized by Corinthian, Doric, or Ionic wood-columned porticos creating the famous "temple" look. Door sur­rounds and eaves are carefully carved in Greek foliate or geometric motifs as well.

Gothic revival popular in 18th- and early 19th- century Europe and America, a house characterized by the revival of Gothic forms of architecture.

hacienda a large Spanish estate.

half-timbered 16th- and 17th-century American and European houses built with large timber founda­tions, supports, and studs, with walls filled in with bricks or plaster.

Italianate (Italian villa-style) popular in United States and England in the mid-1800s, characterized by slightly pitched roofs, square towers, and round- arched windows.

octagon an eight-sided Victorian house.

pueblo a stone or adobe community dwelling as high as five stories, built by the Native Americans of the southwestern United States.

Queen Anne a house style popular in the 1870s and 1880s in England and America, actually based on a combination of Elizabethan, Tudor, Gothic, and Eng­lish Renaissance forms. Features include polygonal or cylindrical towers, bay windows, balconies, and richly decorative woodwork.

Romanesque style popular from 1840 to 1860, characterized by tall towers, arched windows, and decorative arcading beneath the eaves.

row house any one of an unbroken line or series of houses.

saltbox a New England house characterized by a long, sloping roof in the back and a short, pitched roof in front.

Second Empire popular Victorian style charac­terized by mansard roofs, tall arched windows and doors, and iron roof pinnacles.

shingle style later 19th-century Victorian style, characterized by the dominant use of unpainted wood shingles on roofs and walls.

stick style a wood exposed-frame style popular in the later 19th century.

Tudor a house style characterized by its exposed beams.

vernacular Victorian an understated Victorian, less ornate than earlier styles and usually adopting local forms.

INTERNATIONAL AND

native american architecture

Ancient Greek and Roman Architecture

acaina in ancient Greece, a measure of length equal to 1,215 inches.

acroaterion in ancient Greece, a hall or place where lectures were given.

acrobaticon the scaffolding used in ancient Greek construction.

acropolis the elevated stronghold or plateau-plaza of a Greek city.

additus maximus a main entrance in an ancient Roman amphitheater.

aerarium the public treasury of ancient Rome.

aethousa a sunny portico of a Greek dwelling.

agalma any ancient Greek work of art dedicated to a god.

agger an ancient Roman rampart or earthwork.

agora in ancient Greece, an outdoor public assem­bly place or marketplace.

agyieus an altar or statue of Apollo traditionally placed at a street-facing door of a Greek house.

ahenum a boiler system consisting of three copper vessels and a furnace for providing water to ancient Roman baths.

ala a small room or alcove off the atrium of an ancient Roman house.

albani stone the stone commonly used in the con­struction of ancient Roman buildings before the intro­duction of marble.

album in ancient Rome, a section of white plaster on a wall in a public place on which public announce­ments were written.

aleatorium in ancient Rome, a room where dice games were played.

alipterium a room in which ancient Roman bathers anointed themselves.

alveus a Roman sunken bath.

ambivium an ancient Roman road that circumnavi­gated a site but did not go through it.

amphitheater an elliptical, circular, or semicircular auditorium.

anatarium a house and yard for raising ducks in ancient Rome.

andron a room used exclusively by men in ancient Greece.

angiportus a narrow road between rows of houses in ancient Rome.

anserarium an ancient Roman porticolike structure used for raising geese.

anthemion a common ornamentation based on the honeysuckle or palmette plants, frequently seen in Greek architecture.

apodyterium a room where Greek or Roman bath­ers undressed.

apotheca a Greek or Roman storeroom that fre­quently held wines.

aqueduct a water channel placed on high arches when crossing valleys or low ground.

arabesque in Roman architecture, a decorative pat­tern of acanthus scrolls, swags, candelabrum shafts, and animal and human forms appearing on panels and pilasters. (Differs from the arabesque pattern of Muslim countries.)