nave
n. countablen. the long central part of a church where people usually sit or stand. It is the main area between the entrance and the altar.
n. the central longitudinal space of a church, extending from the main entrance to the transepts or chancel. Flanked by aisles and separated from them by piers or columns.
The sunlight filled the nave through the high windows.
Visitors were struck by the height of the nave as they walked toward the altar of the cathedral.
The architect designed the nave with pointed arches and ribbed vaulting to draw the eye upward, a hallmark of the Gothic style intended to inspire spiritual awe.
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)).
Commonly used in architectural and historical descriptions of religious buildings.