naos

plural naoses · plural naosoi · plural naoi

1. historicalarchitectureThe inner part of an ancient Greek temple, containing a statue of the temple's deity and surrounded by a colonnaded portico; (by extension) the Roman cella, which it later gave rise to.

   The interior breadth of the naos of the temple as octastyle may, therefore, be deduced within very narrow limits of error;[…].

   1888, H. H. Statham, editor, The Builder, Volume 54, page 114

   2 more examples

   The simplest form of the rectangular temple was that in which the two side walls were carried out from the naos to form the porch at one or both extremities of the building.

   1846, Henry Ellis, The Elgin and Phigaleian marbles of the classical ages, in the British museum

   The uncertainty that exists, from the condition of the ruins, as to the height originally assigned by the architect to the interior of the naos and of the opisthodomus,^([sic – meaning opisthodomos]) hampers our investigation of the considerations by which he decided the distribution of the plan.

   1868, William Watkiss Lloyd, On the General Theory of Proportion in Architectural Design, John Weale, page 18

1. pluralplural of nao

1. astronomyThe brightest star in the constellation of Puppis.

   Synonyms: Zeta Puppis