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narthex definition

nar·thex (när′t̸heks′)

noun

  1. in early Christian churches, a porch or portico at the west end for penitents and others not admitted to the church itself
  2. 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

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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