MAYAN a.
, used cacao as a medium of exchange, and were workers of gold, silver, and copper. Their architecture comprised elaborately carved temples and places, and they possessed a superior calendar, and a developed system of hieroglyphic writing, with records said to go back to about 700 a. d.
NORMAN a.
e Normans; as, the Norman language; the Norman conquest. Norman style (Arch.), a style of architecture which arose in the tenth century, characterized by great massiveness, simplicity, and strength, with the use of the semicircular arch, heavy round columns, and a great variety of ornaments, among which the zigzag and…
PEDIMENT n.
Originally, in classical architecture, the triangular space forming the gable of a simple roof; hence, a similar form used as a decoration over porticoes, doors, windows, etc.; also, a rounded or broken frontal having a similar position and use. See Temple.
PENDANT n.
A hanging ornament on roofs, ceilings, etc., much used in the later styles of Gothic architecture, where it is of stone, and an important part of the construction. There are imitations in plaster and wood, which are mere decorative features. "[A bridge] with . . . pendants graven fair." Spenser.