The horizontal structural element supported by columns in classical architecture, consisting of three parts: the architrave (bottom), frieze (middle), and cornice (top). Each classical order has distinctive entablature proportions and decorative details.
From Italian 'intavolatura' meaning 'boarding' or 'planking,' from 'tavola' (table/plank) with the prefix 'in-.' The term reflects the entablature's original function as horizontal wooden planking laid across vertical supports, later translated into stone in classical Greek architecture.
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