round arch
- noun
- Specialized
:
arco redondo
- The second floor was raised on round arches and supported a balcony resting on a row of buttresses forming an eaves-like projection.
Examples
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The design of the ancient cathedral features several large round arches that create a majestic entrance.
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The lower level of this structure consists of a triple-bay porch, with quadripartite groin vaults springing from a series of broad, round arches that open out toward the nave.
Academic text (2000) -
There is the half round arch, extruded arch.
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There are flat arches, round arches, triangular arches, and pointed arches.
Fiction book (1999) -
These light structures built on platforms jutted into the water and were covered with pitched roofs, decorated with latticework and round arches.
Academic text (2003) -
Renaissance style is the name commonly given to that transitional architecture where the pointed arch flattens and gives way to the round arch of the Greeks and Romans.
Academic text (1998) -
In Roman architecture, it is common to see round arches used to support the structure and allow for large openings.
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The ruins of the old aqueduct displayed impressive round arches that have stood the test of time.
Synonyms
41
3.5
A curved structure that spans an opening and supports weight
16
4.0
A curved opening people walk through, often made of stone or brick
1
6.2
A curved half-circle structure that supports doorways or bridges
A curved structure shaped like a half circle used above doors and bridges
How Pointed
- Specialized
- Specialized
1
6.8
- Specialized
- Specialized
- Specialized
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase 'round arch' is transparently composed: 'round' (circular/curved) modifies 'arch' (arched construction), so the meaning is directly derivable as an arch that is curved. This simple adjective+noun shape-descriptive pattern is common cross-linguistically and follows ordinary English composition, so a B1 learner who knows both words will understand it.
Etymology
Round arch comes from Roman builders who often made bridges and doorways with a half-circle top. The word round shows the curved shape and the word arch names the curved support, so today it means 'an arch with a continuous curved shape'.