aisle

aisle
aisled, adj.
/uyl/, n.
1. a walkway between or along sections of seats in a theater, classroom, or the like.
2. Archit.
a. a longitudinal division of an interior area, as in a church, separated from the main area by an arcade or the like.
b. any of the longitudinal divisions of a church or the like.
3. in the aisles, (of an audience) convulsed with laughter.
[1350-1400; alter. (with ai < F aile wing) of earlier isle (with s from ISLE), ile; r. ME ele < MF < L ala wing, c. AXLE. See ALA]

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 portion of a church or basilica that parallels or encircles the major sections of the structure, such as the nave, choir, or apse (aisles around the apse are usually called ambulatories). The aisle is often set off by columns or by an arcade.

      The name derives from the French for “wing,” because in Romanesque architecture the aisles flanked only the nave and were often covered by roofs of lower height, thus forming wings. Although the aisle area may be used for seating, especially in more recent times, it was originally intended as a path to seats or to the front of the church. Today, the word also refers to any passageway that gives access to seating in a church, theatre, or other public structure.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Aisle — • In architecture, one of the lateral or longitudinal divisions of a church, separated from the nave by rows of piers, pillars, or columns Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006. Aisle     Aisle …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • aisle — [ aıl ] noun count a passage between rows of seats, for example in a church, theater, or airplane, or between the shelves of a supermarket: an aisle seat Cereals are in aisle three. go/walk down the aisle INFORMAL to get married laughing/rolling… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • aisle — UK US /aɪl/ noun [C] ► COMMERCE the long narrow space between the rows of shelves in a large store, also used to refer to the shelves themselves: »Shopping online means you avoid the crowded supermarket aisles. »the frozen food/home baking, etc.… …   Financial and business terms

  • Aisle — Aisle, n. [OF. ele, F. aile, wing, wing of a building, L. ala, contr. fr. axilla.] (Arch.) (a) A lateral division of a building, separated from the middle part, called the nave, by a row of columns or piers, which support the roof or an upper… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • aisle — ► NOUN 1) a passage between rows of seats. 2) a passage between sets of shelves in a supermarket or other shop. 3) Architecture a lateral division of a church parallel to, and divided by pillars from, a nave, choir, or transept. ● lead someone up …   English terms dictionary

  • aisle — [aıl] n [Date: 1300 1400; : Old French; Origin: ele wing , from Latin ala; influenced by English isle and French aile wing ] 1.) a long passage between rows of seats in a church, plane, theatre etc, or between rows of shelves in a shop 2.)… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • aisle — aisle; aisle·way; …   English syllables

  • Aisle 3 — was a former discount clothing retailer in the United States. The chain was famous for only being open three days a week (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday), while the rest of the week was spent stocking the store with clothes.The chain went out of… …   Wikipedia

  • aisle — (n.) late 14c., ele, lateral division of a church (usually separated by a row of pillars), from O.Fr. ele wing (of a bird or an army), side of a ship (12c., Mod.Fr. aile), from L. ala, related to axilla wing, upper arm, armpit; wing of an army,… …   Etymology dictionary

  • aisle — *passage, passageway, ambulatory, corridor …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • aisle — [n] passageway dividing something alley, artery, avenue, clearing, corridor, course, egress, gangway, hallway, ingress, lane, opening, passage, path, walk, way; concepts 440,513,830 …   New thesaurus

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