nave

American  

[neyv] / neɪv /

noun

1. the principal longitudinal area of a church, extending from the main entrance or narthex to the chancel, usually flanked by aisles of less height and breadth: generally used only by the congregation.

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nave ¹ British  

/ neɪv /

noun

1. the central space in a church, extending from the narthex to the chancel and often flanked by aisles

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nave ² British  

/ neɪv /

noun

1. the central block or hub of a wheel

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Etymology

Origin of nave

First recorded in 1665–75; from Medieval Latin nāvis, Latin: “ship”; so called from the resemblance in shape

Explanation

When a bride walks down the aisle in a church, she is walking down the nave, or central area of the church. The word nave comes from the Latin navis, meaning "ship." If you think of the central space of a big Gothic church with its high vaulted ceiling, it does kind of form the shape of a ship, doesn't it? The nave is the area where the congregation sits. It's usually rectangular in shape and filled with rows of benches.

Example Sentences

In the nave she will swear an oath on the Saint John's Bible, the first time a new bible has been used since 1945, in what is being seen as a reflection of modernisation.

From BBC • Mar. 25, 2026

As a viewer marches down the nave toward the high altar, the apostles also come into view, on a trompe l’oeil ledge.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 9, 2026

For example, archaeologist Cédric Moulis of the University of Lorraine painstakingly reassembled dozens of wedge-shaped stones called voussoirs recovered from the collapsed vaulted ceiling over the nave to glean insights into their mechanical properties.

From Science Magazine • Dec. 5, 2024

More than 6,000 tonnes of steel were used to build the nave.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 3, 2024

Basta pushed aside two women who were kneeling in the middle of the nave cleaning the floor and strode toward the altar steps.

From "Inkheart" by Cornelia Funke

Related Words

• heart
• hub
• place