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dome

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
a roof circular or (rarely) elliptical in plan and usually hemispherical in form, placed over a circular, square, oblong, or polygonal space. Domes have been built with a wide variety of outlines and of various materials. The earliest domes were probably roofed primitive huts and consisted of bent-over branches plastered with mud. Another primitive form, called a beehive dome, is constructed of concentric rings of corbeled stones and has a conical shape. Ancient examples have been found in the tombs of Mycenae and can also still be seen in the folk architecture of Sicily. Although there is evidence of widespread knowledge of the dome, its early use was apparently restricted to small structures built of mud brick. It was the Romans who first fully realized the architectural potentialities of the dome. The Roman development in dome construction culminated in the pantheon (2d cent. A.D. ). The Romans, however, failed to discover a proper handling of the pendentive —the device essential to…
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Full text Article dome

From Philip's Encyclopedia
Sir Christopher Wren designed the dome of St...
In architecture, a hemispherical roof. One of the earliest monumental domes is the Pantheon , Rome. It was an important element in Islamic art and architecture , especially mosques . Eclipsed in importance in Gothic architecture, it was a significant element in Renaissance and Baroque styles. …
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Full text Article dome

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
a roof circular or (rarely) elliptical in plan and usually hemispherical in form, placed over a circular, square, oblong, or polygonal space. Domes have been built with a wide variety of outlines and of various materials. The earliest domes were probably roofed primitive huts and consisted of…
| 608 words
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Full text Article dome

From The Macquarie Dictionary
a. Architecture a large, hemispherical, approximately hemispherical, or spheroidal vault, its form produced by rotating an arch on its vertical radius. Plural: domes b. Architecture a roof of domical shape. Plural: domes c. Architecture a vault or curved roof on a polygonal plan, as an octagonal…
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Full text Article dome

From The American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language
dome USGS Photo: Long Valley Web Team
a. A roof or vault having a circular, polygonal, or elliptical base and a generally hemispherical or semispherical shape. b. A geodesic dome. A domelike structure or object. Geology Any of various natural structures having a rounded shape, especially: a. …
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Full text Article dome

From Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
A dome is traditionally supported primarily by a...
In architecture, a hemispherical structure evolved from the arch , forming a ceiling or roof. Domes first appeared on round huts and tombs in the ancient Middle East, India, and the Mediterranean in forms, such as solid mounds, adaptable only to the smallest buildings. The Romans introduced the…
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Full text Article The Dome

From 1001 Inventions: The Enduring Legacy of Muslim Civilization
The dome is effectively a three-dimensional arch, and in Islamic architecture it had two main symbolic meanings: to represent the vault of heaven and the divine dominance engulfing the emotional and physical being of the faithful. It also had a functional use, which was to emphasize particular…
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Full text Article DOME

From 100 Ideas that Changed Architecture
The dome is one of the oldest and most universal of structural forms. Like semicircular arches, all domes exert an outward thrust. Remains of corbelled domes made of mammoth tusks and bones dating back up to 20,000 years have been found in the Ukraine and ‘true’ mud-brick domes from c.6000 BC…
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Full text Article dome

From Collins Dictionary of Astronomy
The insulated roof of an observatory, which protects the telescope and associated equipment from bad weather and from the heating effect of the Sun. The telescope has access to the sky through a shutter in the dome, which is closed when the telescope is not in use. A delicate motorized mechanism…
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Full text Article dome

From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide
In architecture, a roof form which is usually hemispherical and constructed over a circular, square, or octagonal space in a building. A feature of Islamic and Roman architecture, the dome was revived during the Renaissance period. The dome first appears in Assyrian architecture, later becoming a…
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Full text Article Teapot Dome

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
in U.S. history, oil reserve scandal that began during the administration of President Harding . In 1921, by executive order of the President, control of naval oil reserves at Teapot Dome, Wyo., and at Elk Hills, Calif., was transferred from the Navy Dept. to the Dept. of the Interior. The oil…
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