entablature

[ en-tab-luh-cher, -choor ]

noun

, Architecture.

1. the entire construction of a classical temple or the like between the columns and the eaves, usually composed of an architrave, a frieze, and a cornice.

entablature

/ ɛnˈtæblətʃə /

noun

1. the part of a classical temple above the columns, having an architrave, a frieze, and a cornice
2. any construction of similar form

Word History and Origins

Origin of entablature¹

1605–15; < Middle French < Italian intavolatura; in- ², table, -ate ¹, -ure

Word History and Origins

Origin of entablature¹

C17: from French, from Italian intavolatura something put on a table, hence, something laid flat, from tavola table, from Latin tabula table

Example Sentences

Hemings installed the finishing touch, the parlor entablature, or ceiling molding, in 1826 when Jefferson was near death.

From Washington Post

It is there as rustication and entablature — there, too, on one of the city’s main churches, Santo Domingo de Guzmán.

From New York Times

There is an entablature of shingles resting on the board and batten siding, forming the interior walls.

From Seattle Times

Bas reliefs on the entablature feature important thinkers such as Booker T. Washington and Frederick Douglass.

From Los Angeles Times

Unlike most pillars of the period, the temple’s were not free-standing but demi-columns, 23 by 46 feet, engaged in a continuous curtain wall to support the weight of horizontal architectural detailing that composes the entablature.

From New York Times