Words of the day

Word of the Day for Wednesday, July 11, 2012

hypethral \hi-PEE-thruhl\, adjective:

(Of a classical building) wholly or partly open to the sky.

 Follow the gallery around for about a thousand paces until you
 come to the hypethral. With it dark out you might miss it, so
 keep an eye open for the plants.
 — Gene Wolfe, Shadow and Claw

 The choice of top light for the main galleries is said to have
 been dictated by the belief that Greek temples were hypethral,
 that is, open to the sky; from which it was inferred that Greek
 taste demanded to see works of art under light from above.
 — Benjamin Ives Gilman, Museum Ideals of Purpose and Method

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Hypethral stems from the Greek roots hyp- which means “under” and
a??thros meaning “clear sky.”