groining

Vault edge architecture

Groining is the construction or arrangement of groins in architecture—the curved edges formed where two vaulted ceilings intersect.

A groined vault creates a distinctive X-shaped pattern on the ceiling, common in Romanesque and Gothic buildings: The cathedral's groining drew the eye upward.

The term belongs to architectural description and historical preservation work.

vaulting

rib

Curved chest bone

webInterwoven filament structure
bossWorkplace superior
springerOne that leaps

keystone · masonry · arch · spandrel · nave · aisle · vault · barrel · quadripartite · crown

structural

load-bearing

Sustaining structural mass

keystoneArch's central locking stone
reinforcementAdding support or encouragement
constructionProcess of building something

buttress · thrust · compression · spanning · arris · intersection · edge · junction · angle · framework

gothic

ribbed

With raised parallel lines

traceryDecorative branching stonework
ogeeS-shaped architectural curve
rose-windowCircular ornamental church window

chancel · clerestory · bosses · quatrefoil · trefoil · apse · ambulatory · cathedral · medieval · perpendicular

coastal

breakwater

Coastal wave-blocking structure

seawallCoastal erosion barrier
revetmentErosion control structure
jettyStructure extending into water

riprap · embankment · harbour · littoral

Opposites

ceiling/vault structure

groiningbeam ceiling

Overhead with visible timbers

coffered ceiling · barrel vault · post-and-lintel · dropped ceiling · suspended ceiling

architectural ornamentation

groiningunvaulted

Having no arch overhead

Family

groin, groins, inguinal, groyne, groined

Familiarity: Top 1,000,000
Profile: Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Rated G