acrolith

acrolith
acrolithic, adj.
/ak"reuh lith/, n.
a sculptured figure having the head and extremities of stone and the torso of other material.
[1840-50; < L acrolithus < Gk akrólithos. See ACRO-, -LITH]

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      statue, especially ancient Greek, in which the trunk of the figure was of wood and the head, hands, and feet of marble. The wood was either gilded or covered by real or metal drapery. Acroliths are known from the descriptions of Pausanias, a 2nd-century-AD Greek geographer and traveller, who mentions, for example, Phidias' acrolith of Athena at Plataea. This form of sculpture was practiced at least as late as the 4th century BC.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Acrolith — Ac ro*lith, n. [L. acrolthus, Gr. akroli qos with the ends made of stone; a kros extreme + li qos stone.] (Arch. & Sculp.) A statue whose extremities are of stone, the trunk being generally of wood. Elmes. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • acrolith — [ak′rō lith΄] n. [L acrolithus < Gr akrolithos < akros (see ACRO ) + lithos, stone] in early Greek sculpture, a statue with stone head, hands, and feet, and a wooden trunk …   English World dictionary

  • Acrolith — In Classical antiquity, an acrolith (Greek etymology: acros and lithos , English translation: height or extremity and stone ) was a statue in which the trunk of the figure was made of wood, and the extremities (head, hands and feet) of marble.… …   Wikipedia

  • acrolith —    An ancient Greek sculpture in which the head and arms and feet were made of marble or some other stone. Greek for stone ended. At first an acrolith was considered to be a wooden sculpture with marble extremities, and later, a limestone… …   Glossary of Art Terms

  • acrolith — noun An ancient Greek wooden statue with limbs and head of stone …   Wiktionary

  • acrolith — wooden statue with stone extremities Stones and Rocks …   Phrontistery dictionary

  • acrolith — ac·ro·lith …   English syllables

  • acrolith — /ˈækrəlɪθ/ (say akruhlith) noun a sculptured figure having only the head and extremities made of marble or other stone. {Latin acrolithus, from Greek akrolithos} –acrolithic /ækrəˈlɪθɪk/ (say akruh lithik), adjective …  

  • acrolith —   n. statue with wooden trunk and stone head and extremities …   Dictionary of difficult words

  • acrolith — ˈakrəˌlith noun ( s) Etymology: Latin acrolithus, from Greek akrolithos with ends of stone, from akr acr + lithos stone : an acrolithic statue …   Useful english dictionary

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