A dog-tooth or "dogtooth pattern", in architecture, is an ornament found in the moldings of medieval work of the commencement of the 12th century, which is thought to have been introduced by the Crusaders from the East. The earliest example is found in the hall at Rabbath Ammon in Moab (c. 614) built by the Sassanians, where it decorates the arch molding of the blind arcades and the string courses. The pattern consists of four flower petals forming a square or diamond shape with a central element. The petals have the form of the pointed conical canine tooth, eye tooth or cuspid.
In the apse of the church at Murano, near Venice, it is similarly employed. In the 12th and 13th centuries it was further elaborated with carving, losing therefore its primitive form, but constituting a most beautiful decorative feature. In Elgin Cathedral the dogtooth ornament in the archivolt becomes a four-lobed leaf, and in Stone church, Kent, a much more enriched type of flower. The term has been supposed to originate in a resemblance to the dog tooth violet, but the original idea of a projecting tooth is a sufficient explanation.
"Dogtooth" is also a woven fabric pattern which resembles a canine tooth.
Aviation
A "dogtooth" in aviation is a wing or tailplane design where the leading edge of the airfoil has a noticeable "notch." Many high-performance aircraft use the dogtooth design, which induces a vortex over the wing to reduce boundary layer separation, increasing lift and improving resistance to stall. Some of the most well-known uses of the dogtooth is in the stabilizer of the F-15 Eagle, the wings of the F-4 Phantom II, F/A-18 Super Hornet, or the CF-105 Arrow.
See also
- Houndstooth
- Nailhead
- Ball flower
This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica, Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
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