Antae

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A term referring to the architectural elements that are extensions of walls
2. It describes the vertical posts or pillars that mark the ends of a portico or a structure
3. This can also denote the protruding members of a building that support a roof or overhang

Etymology: "Antae" is the plural of "anta," a term for the projecting ends of a wall, typically a thickened pier or pilaster that closes off a colonnade or a temple's porch. The word came into English as a learned borrowing from Latin "antae," meaning pilasters, which was itself the plural of a Latin noun that English speakers later reshaped into a singular form they could use on its own. That reshaping is the surprising part. Because the Latin word arrived in its plural form, English writers treated "antae" as the normal word and then worked backward to invent a singular, "anta." The singular therefore reflects an English back-formation rather than a form inherited straight from Latin, so the pair is a mix of Latin plural and English-made singular.