apophyge
American Heritage Dictionary:
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a·poph·y·ge
(ə-pŏf'ə-jē) 
n.
The outward curve at the top and bottom of a column where the shaft joins the capital or base.
n.
The outward curve at the top and bottom of a column where the shaft joins the capital or base.
[Greek apophugē, from apopheugein, apophug-, to flee : apo-, apo- + pheugein, to flee.]
Wikipedia on Answers.com:
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Apophyge
An apophyge (Greek αποφυγη, a flying off), in architecture, is the lowest part of the shaft of an Ionic or Corinthian column, or the highest member of its base if the column be considered as a whole. The apophyge is the inverted cavetto or concave sweep, on the upper edge of which the diminishing shaft rests.
It is, in effect, a curved join between the column shaft and the slightly larger section of the column to which the shaft joins. It bridges the two radii to avoid a sharp change. This was likely done to avoid cracking of the marble in ancient structures.
The apophyge superior is the joining to the capital, while the apophyge inferior is the joining to the base.
References
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
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American Heritage Dictionary
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Architecture & Construction
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Architecture and Construction. Copyright © 2003 by McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
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