| acronyms | Words made up from the initial letters of other words. |
| acroterion | Acroterion (pl. acroteria) - plinths for statues, etc, at the apex and ends of a pediment. Can also refer to the statues themselves. |
| Aeneid | Vergil's epic poem on the glorious past of Rome. |
| antefix | Antefix (plural antefixae) is, originally, an upright decoration used to hide the end of a run of roof tiles. Now also used as general ornamentation. |
| Arts and Crafts Movement | Founded after the 1851 Great Exhibition to improve standards of decorative design and to revive handicrafts, in direct opposition to the trend towards mass-production. |
| Art Workers Guild | Formed in 1884, a group of English artists, architects, designers and craftsmen. Their aim was reform through the theory of the interdependence of the arts. |
| Baroque | From about 1855 Baroque was the accepted term for 17th century art and design. The style is characterized by exuberance and extravagence. |
| bartizan | Battlemented parapet, or overhanging turret on a wall or tower. |
| bungalow | In the West this describes a one-storied house. In the East this term is used to descibe a two-storied house or mansion. The word derives from Gujarati bangalo and Hindi bangla, meaning 'belonging to Bengal'. |
| capital | The head of a column which is often highly carved, moulded and decorated. |
| caryatid | A sculptured female figure used in place of a column or pillar. |
| Century Guild | Organization to promote the Arts and Crafts Movement, set up in 1882 by WH Mackmurdo, HP Horne and S Image. |
| ceramics | Generic term for all types of porcelain and pottery. |
| chancel | Part of the church for the clergy and choir, near the altar, and usually enclosed. |
| Chimera | In Greek mythology a chimera is a monster with a lion's head, a goat's body and a serpent's tail. |
| cire perdue | Lost wax: a bronze-casting technique of filling the space between the core and the mould after the core's wax coating has been melted away. |
| choragic | A reference to the chorus leader in ancient Greece, whose victory in the competitive choral dances was celebrated by erecting a small decorative structure. |
| corona | A hanging light formed from one or more (metal) hoops to which lamps or candles are attached. |
| Dilettante Society | Glasgow Dilettante Society (1825-1843), formed for the 'improvement of the Fine Arts'. |
| frieze | Loosely applied to any decorated band, but strictly the architectural term for the middle division of an entablature, the horizontal structure lying above and across the columns. |
| genre | Of a particular style. |
| gesso | Plaster of Paris or gypsum prepared for use in painting or sculpture. |
| Gurkhas | Members of the dominant Hindu race in Nepal, who make up several regiments in the British army. |
| Hakka | A people from south-eastern China, especially around Canton. |
| laurel | The leaves of the bay-tree used as a symbol of victory. |
| Maidan | The Maidan is a large public park situated in the very heart of Calcutta. |
| medallion | Circular or oval framed ornamentation, often containg a portrait in relief. The word literally means a large medal. |
| Moghul | Mohgul, Mogul or Mughal Empire, founded in the early 16th century in India, The Mughal emperor accepted British protection in 1803. |
| New Sculpture Movement | From about 1875 the style of British sculpture changed to one of more naturalistic modelling. |
| ogee | An S-shaped moulding. |
| porcelain | A hard, dense and, generally, white ceramic substance, impermeable and usually glazed. |
| relief | A sculpted or moulded design which stands out from a flat surface. |
| repoussé | Decoration on metal that has been hammered from the reverse side so that the design is pushed through in relief. |
| reredos | In a church, the ornamental screen behind the altar. |
| stucco | A slow-setting, durable plaster used for modelling. |
| terracotta | Ornamental building material of unglazed, fired clay, brownish-red in colour; also used in statuary, pottery, etc. |
| triptych | Painting or carving on three (hinged) panels. |
| Union Flag | Union Jack, the national ensign of the United Kingdom, formed by the union of the crosses of St George, St Andrew and St Patrick. |
