acroterium

American  

[ak-ruh-teer-ee-uhm] / ˌæk rəˈtɪər i əm /

noun

Architecture.

plural

acroteria

1. a pedestal for a sculpture or ornament at each base or at the apex of a pediment.

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Other Word Forms

• acroteral adjective
• acroterial adjective

Etymology

Origin of acroterium

Latinization of acroterion

Example Sentences

The house had grown a story higher; and the tiled roof, now surmounted by a bronze acroterium, projected an intact outline against the light blue of the sky, where a few stars were growing pale.

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 pediment and acroterium were adorned with statues—scarcely, however, to be distinguished at that distance.

From Jovinian A Story of the Early Days of Papal Rome by Kingston, William Henry Giles

The term is often restricted to the plinth, which forms the podium merely for the acroterium.

From The Project Gutenberg Encyclopedia Volume 1 of 28 by Project Gutenberg

The gables are each crowned with a figure of Victory, sometimes called an "acroterium," from the architectural name of the tablet on which it stands.

From The Jewel City by Macomber, Ben

An ever present feature, also, is the palmette acroterium, treated in conventional ceramic style.

From The American Journal of Archaeology, 1893-1 by Various