narthex
narthex
Definition
nar·thex (när′t̸heks′)
noun
- in early Christian churches, a porch or portico at the west end for penitents and others not admitted to the church itself
- any church vestibule leading to the nave
Etymology: LL(Ec) < LGr(Ec) narthēx < Gr, giant fennel: from a fancied resemblance of the porch to the hollow stem
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