Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. The central part of a church, extending from the narthex to the chancel and flanked by aisles.
- n. The hub of a wheel.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. The central part of a wheel, in which the spokes are inserted; the hub. See cuts under felly and hub.
- n. The navel.
- n. The main body, or middle part, lengthwise, of a church, extending typically from the chief entrance to the choir or chancel. In all but very small churches it is usual for the nave to be flanked by one or more aisles on each side, the aisles being, unless exceptionally, or typically in some local architectural styles, much lower and narrower than the nave. See
aisle , and diagrams under cathedral, basilica, and bema. - To form as a nave; cause to resemble a nave in function or in effect.
- A Middle English contraction of ne have, have not.
Wiktionary
- n. The middle or body of a church, extending from the transepts to the principal entrances.
- n. A hub of a wheel
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. The block in the center of a wheel, from which the spokes radiate, and through which the axle passes; -- called also
hub orhob . - n. The navel.
- n. The middle or body of a church, extending from the transepts to the principal entrances, or, if there are no transepts, from the choir to the principal entrance, but not including the aisles.
WordNet 3.0
- n. the central area of a church
Etymologies
- Medieval Latin nāvis, from Latin, ship (from its shape); see nāu- in Indo-European roots.Middle English, from Old English nafu; see nobh- in Indo-European roots.
Examples
“The word nave comes from the Latin word for ship – hence our modern word naval, as in naval officer.”
“It is most probably called the nave from the Latin _navis_, signifying a ship, the same word from which we get our English "navy" and "naval.”
“The span of the nave is broad and a little low, in keeping with its parent style.”
“A long narrow nave is flanked by graceful arcades of beautifully-proportioned arches.”
A day in Oaxaca = Two thousand years, Part Two: Monte Alban and the Zimatlán Valley.
“Above the central nave is Michelangelo's dome, 139 feet in diameter and 396 feet high.”
USATODAY.com - Millions of mourners bid farewell to Pope John Paul II
“The bells have stopped, the censers are swinging, and the nave is full of people; their heavy feet have hidden the labyrinth's tiled lobes.”
“Beyond the northern and southern piles, a balustrade, terminated on either side by the thrones of the emperor and the patriarch, divided the nave from the choir; and the space, as far as the steps of the altar, was occupied by the clergy and singers.”
“400 A.D. “the house of the believers is long in shape like a ship hence nave from the Latin navis and directed towards the east.””
“There's an extraordinary staircase in the north transept; across the nave is the tomb of Richard the Lionheart.”
“We went up a lift to the roof and walked all over in a forest of statues and gargoyles and tracery, actually strolling down the centre of the nave, which is roofed with stone.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘nave’.
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On with their heads!
Words that make other words with the addition of one letter at the beginning. The resulting words are tagged "behead".
men, his, yes, any, iota, limb, aged, laid, land, lead, read, word and 315 more...
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religion
who is this god person, anyway? (--Douglas Adams)
sachristy, vestry, diocese, papal, cardinal, pope, polygamy, seven, father, chaplain, vestments, blessing and 227 more...
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