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

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

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

The curves bear a distant resemblance to the volutes of a capital; above this base appears a ring or astragal, the origin of which may be easily guessed.

From A History of Art in Chaldæa & Assyria, v. 1 by Armstrong, Walter, Sir

The Lesbian astragal referred to by Vitruvius, bk. iv. ch. vi., was in all probability an astragal carved with a bead and reel enrichment.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Slice 7 "Arundel, Thomas" to "Athens" by Various

An ovolo of conventional egg and dart motive with the customary bead and reel astragal outlines the black marble facings of the fireplace opening.

From The Colonial Architecture of Philadelphia by Cousins, Frank