astragal

American  

[as-truh-guhl] / ˈæs trə gəl /

noun

Architecture, Furniture.

1. a small convex molding cut into the form of a string of beads.

2. a plain convex molding; bead.

3. a molding attached to one or both meeting stiles of a pair of double doors in order to prevent drafts.

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astragal British  

/ ˈæstrəɡəl /

noun

1. architect

   1. Also called: bead.  a small convex moulding, usually with a semicircular cross section

   2. a moulding having the form of a string of beads

2. carpentry a glazing bar, esp in a bookcase

3. anatomy the ankle or anklebone

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Etymology

Origin of astragal

1555–65; < Latin astragalus < Greek astrágalos a vertebra, the huckle-bone, a molding, a kind of vetch; in plural, dice (i.e., huckle-bones)

Example Sentences

Examine again the hawk's-beak, the egg-and-dart, the leaf-and- dart, the astragal, the guilloche, the honeysuckle, the meander or fret.

From A History of Greek Art by Tarbell, Frank Bigelow

Let three of these compose the first fascia with its astragal, four the second, and five the third, the fasciae with their astragals running side by side all round.

From The Ten Books on Architecture by Vitruvius Pollio

A small molding, like the astragal, but smaller; a bead.

From Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (2nd 100 Pages) by Webster, Noah

The ingots of tin were in the form of an astragal, and an ancient ingot of large size dredged up in Falmouth Harbour, weighing 150 lbs., resembled the letter H in form.

From From John O'Groats to Land's End by Naylor, Robert

At the bottom the capital should be of the thickness of the top of the column omitting the congé and astragal.

From The Ten Books on Architecture by Vitruvius Pollio