nave
- 01 C1 Advanced
the long central part of a church building where the people usually sit during a service.
the central longitudinal part of a church, extending from the main entrance to the transepts or choir.
Simple“The sunlight streamed through the high windows, lighting up the entire nave of the cathedral.”
In context“The architect designed the nave with soaring stone arches to draw the congregation's eyes upward toward the vaulted ceiling.”
UsageUsually used with the definite article 'the'.
- 02 C2 Proficiency
the central part of a wheel that the axle goes through.
the central block or hub of a wheel, particularly in wooden or traditional carriage wheels.
Simple“The old wooden wagon had a cracked nave that needed to be replaced.”
In context“The wheelwright carefully shaped the nave from a solid block of seasoned elm to ensure it could withstand the pressure of the spokes.”
Teacher's tipThis sense is largely restricted to historical contexts or traditional crafts; 'hub' is the standard modern term.
Ultimately from Latin nāvem, singular accusative of nāvis, possibly via a Romance source. Doublet of nef and nau.
From Middle English nave, from Old English nafu, from Proto-West Germanic nabu, from Proto-Germanic nabō (compare Dutch naaf, German Nabe, Swedish nav), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃nebʰ- (“navel, hub”) (compare Latin umbō (“shield boss”), Latvian naba, Sanskrit नभ्य (nabhya)).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.