finial

English

Wikipedia

finial at peak of gable (illustration by Viollet-le-Duc, 1856)

Etymology

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /ˈfɪn.i.əl/, X-SAMPA: /"fIn.i.@l/

Noun

finial (plural finials)

1. The knot or bunch of foliage, or foliated ornament, that forms the upper extremity of a pinnacle in Gothic architecture.
2. Any decorative fitting at the peak of a gable, or on the top of a flagpole, fence post or staircase newel post.

Quotations

• 1988 : It was a narrow, gravelled island we had to lie on, guarded by glazed brick chimneys and, running along the sides, a prickly little gothic fence of iron finials and terracotta quatrefoils. - Alan Hollinghurst, The Swimming Pool Library, (Penguin Books, paperback edition, 142)

Translations

foliated ornament

• Finnish: päätykoriste (fi)

• Japanese: 頂華 (ja) (ちょうげ, chōge)

decorative fitting

• Finnish: päätykoriste (fi) (in a gable); nuppi (fi) (in a post, pole etc.)

• Japanese: 先端装飾 (ja) (せんたんそうしょく, sentan sōshoku)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

• French: fleuron (fr) m