squinch
American Heritage Dictionary:
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squinch1
(skwĭnch) 
n.
A structure, such as a section of vaulting or corbeling, set diagonally across the interior angle between two walls to provide a transition from a square to a polygonal or more nearly circular base on which to construct a dome.
squinch2 (skwĭnch)
tr.v., squinched, squinch·ing, squinch·es.
To squeeze, twist, or draw together: squinched her eyes shut.
n.
A structure, such as a section of vaulting or corbeling, set diagonally across the interior angle between two walls to provide a transition from a square to a polygonal or more nearly circular base on which to construct a dome.
[Alteration of scuncheon, from Middle English sconchon, from Old French escoinson : es-, out of (from Latin ex-; see ex-) + coin, angle, wedge; see coin.]
squinch2 (skwĭnch)
tr.v., squinched, squinch·ing, squinch·es.
To squeeze, twist, or draw together: squinched her eyes shut.
[Alteration of SQUINT.]
Roget's Thesaurus:
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squinch
1. Corbeling, often arcuate, built at the upper corners of a structural bay to support its tangent, smaller dome or drum.
2. A small arch across the corner of a square room which supports a superimposed mass; also called a sconce.
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Columbia Encyclopedia:
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squinch
squinch, in architecture, a piece of construction used for filling in the upper angles of a square room so as to form a proper base to receive an octagonal or spherical dome. It was the primitive solution of this problem, the perfected one being eventually provided by the pendentive. Squinches may be formed by masonry built out from the angle in corbeled courses, by filling the corner with a vise placed diagonally, or by building an arch or a number of corbeled arches diagonally across the corner. In Islamic architecture, especially in Persia, where it may have been invented, the squinch took the form of a succession of corbeled stalactites. It was also commonly used in the early churches of Europe and the East.
Random House Word Menu:
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categories related to 'squinch'
- Structural and Decorative Elements - squinch: support at corner of room for superimposed mass such as arch, lintel, or corbel
- Classical Elements and Design - squinch: arch placed diagonally between two walls
Wikipedia on Answers.com:
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Squinch
A squinch in architecture is a construction filling in the upper angles of a square room so as to form a base to receive an octagonal or spherical dome. A later solution of this structural problem was provided by the pendentive.
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Contents
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Construction
Squinches may be formed by masonry built out from the angle in corbelled courses, by filling the corner with a vise placed diagonally, or by building an arch or a number of corbelled arches diagonally across the corner.
History in the Middle East
The squinch was probably invented in Iran. It was used in the Middle East in both eastern Romanesque and Islamic architecture. It remained a feature of Islamic architecture, especially in Iran, and was often covered by corbelled stalactite-like structures known as muqarnas.
History in Western Europe
It spread to the Romanesque architecture of western Europe, one example being the Normans' 12th-century church of San Cataldo, Palermo in Sicily. This has three domes, each supported by four doubled squinches.
Etymology
The word "squinch" comes from the Persian word "سه+کنج=) "سکنج) (pronounced sekonj).
See also
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Copyrights:
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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Roget's Thesaurus
Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary Copyright © 1995 byHoughton Mifflin Company. 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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Columbia Encyclopedia
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/.
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Random House Word Menu
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