dipteral
Definition
Adjective: - Architecture: "Dipteral" describes a building, especially a classical temple, that has a double row of columns on all sides. The term derives from the Greek dipteros, meaning "having two wings" or "two rows of columns."
Usage Examples
- (The building had a double colonnade.)
- (They examined buildings with two rows of columns.)
Advanced Usage
"Dipteral plan": a floor plan where the colonnade consists of two parallel rows of columns.
- The dipteral plan of the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus made it one of the largest Greek temples ever built. (Its double column arrangement contributed to its immense size.)
"Dipteral vs. peripteral": In classical architecture, a peripteral building has a single row of columns, while a dipteral building has two.
- The Parthenon is peripteral, but the Temple of Apollo at Didyma is dipteral. (The latter has a double colonnade.)
Variants and Related Words
Dipteros (n): a building with a double colonnade; the Greek term for such a structure.
- The dipteros was a favoured design for major sanctuaries in the Hellenistic period. (This type of building was commonly used for important religious sites.)
Dipterous (adj): having two wings, used in entomology (not architecture).
- A fly is a dipterous insect. (It has two wings.)
Synonyms
Double-colonnaded: having two rows of columns.
- The double-colonnaded hall was reminiscent of a dipteral temple. (The hall had two rows of columns.)
Two-aisled: having two parallel aisles or rows of supports.
- The basilica was two-aisled, similar to a dipteral structure. (It had two rows of columns.)
Related Idioms
- No common idioms or phrasal verbs are associated with "dipteral," as it is a technical architectural term.