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Glite Dictionary
rampant arch

rampant arch

9.9
A curved building part that starts higher on one side than the other
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : arco rampante
  • The cathedral's rampant arch elegantly bridged the uneven ground between the two towers.

Examples

  • The engineer explained how a rampant arch distributes load differently from a regular arch.

  • Many rampant arches can be seen in Gothic architecture.

  • A rampant arch is often used where one side of a structure must be higher than the other.

  • The rampant arch in the old cathedral is a stunning feature.

  • The cathedral's rampant arch elegantly bridged the uneven ground between the two towers.

  • Many rampant arches can be seen in Gothic architecture.

  • A rampant arch is often used where one side of a structure must be higher than the other.

Surface Forms

rampant arch singular
rampant arches plural

Morphology

rampant + arch

The adjective 'rampant' here has a specialized architectural sense (one support higher than the other) that is not the common B1 meaning of 'rampant' (e.g. widespread or rearing up) and does not transparently combine with 'arch' for non-specialists. Because the technical sense is unpredictable from everyday meanings of the constituent words, a B1 learner who knows those words would likely not infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Rampant arch comes from the older word rampant, which means 'rising up', like an animal standing on its back legs. An arch that is higher on one side looks as if it is rising, so rampant arch describes an arch whose support is higher on one side than the other.