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Glite Dictionary
👀 To cross eyes 😣 To flinch 🏛️ A support arch
squinch

squinch

9.9
A small arch across a corner that supports a dome or spire
  • noun
  • /skwɪntʃ/
  • Specialized
translation icon : esquinzo
  • The construction team installed squinches to help evenly distribute the weight of the spire above.

Examples

  • The historic cathedral features ornate squinches that enhance the strength of its impressive dome.

  • Hanner opens her eyes just a squinch at a time to keep from seeing the bare spot on the floor where the rug used to be.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • Based, I imagine, on some pimply little squinch who wouldn't let you have a bite of her muffin back in trade school.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • The twangy redneck drawl over the phone immediately suggested to Molly a physical type: lean and spare, thin-lipped, squinch-eyed, and balding.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • The architect designed a stunning dome, supported by a series of elegant squinches at the corners of the building.

Synonyms

trumpet arch
vssquinch
  • Specialized
9.9

A cone-shaped corner support that helps carry a dome over a square room

is a general small arch across an interior corner that supports domes or spires

How Complex

pendentive
  • Specialized
9.9
trumpet arch
  • Specialized
9.9
squinch
  • Specialized
9.9
arch
41 3.5
opening
179 1.0

Surface Forms

squinch singular
squinches plural

Etymology

Squinch probably comes from an old word for 'corner', similar to Spanish esquina 'corner'. So a squinch is a small corner piece that builders use to help a round dome sit on a square room.