A subtle outward curve in the middle of a vertical column or structure, used to correct the optical illusion that straight lines appear concave.
From Greek 'entasis' meaning 'tension' or 'stretching', from 'enteinein' (to stretch tight). Architectural term describing a Greek refinement technique.
The Parthenon columns have entasis—you can barely see it, but your eye feels it, and architects have used this trick for 25 centuries because human vision is wonderfully imperfect in predictable ways.
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