spire

/'spaiə/

Thân thiện

A tall, stone spire rises above the old church in the village.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A tall, slender, tapering structure: A "spire" is a tall, tapering architectural structure, often forming the uppermost part of a tower on a building such as a church or temple, and culminating in a point.
   • The upper, tapering part of something: More broadly, "spire" can refer to any object that rises to a slender, pointed top.

Usage

• As a noun, "spire" is used to describe a specific architectural feature. It is a countable noun.
• It is most commonly associated with Gothic cathedrals and churches.
• Example:

Examples

• Noun:
  • The old stone church is famous for its intricately carved spire.
  • A lightning strike damaged the spire of the town hall.
  • From the hill, we could see the spires of the city piercing the skyline.

Advanced Usage

• "To lose its spire": To have the pointed top of a tower broken or removed.
  • The ancient tower lost its spire in the great storm centuries ago.
• Used metaphorically to describe anything that rises to a slender point.
  • A spire of rock stood isolated in the desert.
  • A spire of smoke rose from the chimney.

Variants and Related Words

• Spired (adjective): Having a spire or spires.
  • The spired skyline was characteristic of the medieval city.
• Spirelet (noun): A small spire.
• Steeple: While often used interchangeably in casual speech, a is a tower plus its spire, whereas a is specifically the tapering top part.

Synonyms

• Steeple (when referring to a church tower with a spire).
• Pinnacle: The highest point, often used figuratively but can also mean a small spire.
• Obelisk: A tall, four-sided stone pillar that tapers to a point.

Antonyms

• Base: The bottom support of a structure.
• Foundation: The lowest load-bearing part of a building.

Related Phrases and Idioms

(Note: "Spire" itself is not commonly used in phrasal verbs or idioms. Its usage is primarily literal or descriptive.) - "To reach for the spires": A poetic phrase meaning to aspire to great heights or achievements. - His ambitions reached for the spires.

Học thuật

Noun

1. a tall tower that forms the superstructure of a building (usually a church or temple) and that tapers to a point at the top

Từ đồng nghĩa

• steeple