exedra
Americannoun
plural
exedrae-
(in ancient Greece and Rome) a room or covered area open on one side, used as a meeting place.
-
a permanent outdoor bench, semicircular in plan and having a high back.
noun
-
a building, room, portico, or apse containing a continuous bench, used in ancient Greece and Rome for holding discussions
-
an outdoor bench in a recess
Other Word Forms
- exedral adjective
Etymology
Origin of exedra
1700–10; < Latin: hall furnished with seats < Greek exédra (covered) walk with seats, equivalent to ex- ex- 3 + ( h ) édra seat, bench
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The exedra — a Greek term for what became a popular garden feature in the 18th century — has a statue of Eros at its center in commemoration of the Seilheimers’ 40th wedding anniversary.
From Washington Post • Sep. 24, 2020
A collaboration by Augustus Saint-Gaudens on an exedra designed by architect Stanford White, the statue, cast in 1880, stands above reliefs of two female figures representing Loyalty and Courage.
From New York Times • Sep. 23, 2018
It consists of an exedra and pedestal surmounted by a figure of Peace . . . backed by an illuminated cross.
From Time Magazine Archive
The cicerone led them through the exedra or summer parlor, which opened to the sea, to receive its cooling breezes.
From One of Cleopatra's Nights and Other Fantastic Romances One of Cleopatra's Nights?Clarimonde?Arria Marcella?The Mummy's Foot?Omphale: a Rococo Story?King Candaules by Gautier, Th?ophile
The people were delighted by the removal of the imperial exedra in the circus, whereby five thousand additional places were provided.
From Great Men and Famous Women. Vol. 1 A series of pen and pencil sketches of the lives of more than 200 of the most prominent personages in History by Horne, Charles F. (Charles Francis)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
