trefoils
Gothic window motifs
Trefoils are three-lobed shapes or patterns, like a clover leaf.
The term appears in architecture for ornamental openings in Gothic stonework, in heraldry for stylized three-leafed designs, and in botany for plants with trifoliate leaves: The window featured delicate stone trefoils.
Trefoil also names a type of Girl Scout cookie shaped with this pattern.
Three-leafed Irish emblem
- legumePod-producing plant family
- nitrogen-fixingConverting N₂ to ammonia
- forageSeek food actively
- pastureGrazing ground for livestock
meadow · herbaceous · perennial · groundcover · grazing · livestock · haying · wildflower
Unified set of three
- shamrockThree-leafed Irish emblem
- luckChance affecting outcomes
- emblemRepresentational sign or device
- badgeWorn symbol of membership
heraldry · insignia · sacred · spiritual · holy · charm · talisman · iconography
Decorative branching stonework
- gothicDark, mysterious aesthetic
- quatrefoilFour-lobed ornamental pattern
- cinquefoilFive-lobed plant or motif
- rose-windowCircular ornamental church window
lancet · mullion · cathedral · chapel · clerestory · vault · buttress · arcade
shamrock
Three-leafed Irish emblem
- legumePod-producing plant family
- nitrogen-fixingConverting N₂ to ammonia
- forageSeek food actively
pasture · meadow · herbaceous · perennial · groundcover · grazing · livestock · haying · wildflower · lucky
trinity
Unified set of three
badge · heraldry · insignia · sacred · spiritual · holy · charm · talisman · iconography · medieval
tracery
Decorative branching stonework
- gothicDark, mysterious aesthetic
- quatrefoilFour-lobed ornamental pattern
- cinquefoilFive-lobed plant or motif
rose-window · lancet · mullion · cathedral · chapel · clerestory · vault · buttress · arcade · nave
motif
Recurring thematic element
- interlaceWeave elements together
- geometricRelating to mathematical shapes
- arabesqueFlowing ornamental design
quatrefoil · rosette · scrollwork · fretwork · filigree · stencil · inlay · mosaic · lacework · frieze
shortbread
Buttery, crumbly biscuit
- ornamentationornaments, ornament, ornamentation, ornamental, embellishment
- decorative motifsscrolls, flourishes, swirls, spirals, curls
- Gothic Architecturepointed arches, flying buttress, flying buttresses, pointed arch, rose window
- Gothic artgothic architecture, Gothic art, pointed arches, rose windows, tracery
- Gothic woodworkchoir stalls, carved panels, tracery, finials, quatrefoils
- architectural symbolsarches, columns, domes, pediments, capitals