Echinus
/ɪˈkaɪnəs/noun
A sea urchin, or a rounded molding beneath the abacus of a classical column capital.
Did you know?The architectural echinus was named for its resemblance to a sea urchin’s rounded, textured body and appears prominently in Doric and related classical capitals.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
ἐχῖνος (ekhînos)
“Hedgehog; sea urchin; a prickly or spiny object”
Classical Greek
Greek
ἐχῖνος
“A sea urchin, whose spines suggested the image of a hedgehog”
Ancient Latin
Latin
echinus
“Hedgehog, sea urchin, or a rounded architectural molding”
Renaissance Latin
New Latin
echinus
“A technical zoological and architectural term derived from classical Latin”
17th Century
English
echinus
“A sea urchin; later also the rounded molding of a classical capital”
Modern English
English
echinus
“A sea urchin or the curved molding beneath a column capital”
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