Medieval Glossary
Acroterium
A Latin term for a terminating member, or ornament, at the apex and angles of a pediment. Some writers contend that the acroterium is the plinth, or pedestal, sustaining the ornamental finishing of the pediment. Others, however, contend that it is the ornament itself. In Christian [gothic] architecture, the cross at the apex of a gable may be called acroterium.
Related term(s): None
Category: Architecture
Added: 12.02.05
Source information:
Britton, John, F.S.A. A Dictionary of the Architecture and Archaeology of the Middle Ages. J. Le Keux, illus. London: Longman, Orme, Brown, Green, and Longmans, Paternoster Row; and the Author, Burton Street, 1838. 7-8.
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