ambulatory | a covered walkway, outdoors or indoors
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archivolt | a molded or decorated band around an arch or forming an archlike frame for an opening
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bay | a regularly repeated spatial unit of a building; in medieval architecture, a vaulted compartment
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canto | (Latin, "song") one of the main divisions of a long poem
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counterpoint | a musical technique that involves two or more independent melodies; the term is often used interchangeably with "polyphony"
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crocket | a stylized leaf used as a terminal ornament
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finial | an ornament, usually pointed and foliated, that tops a spire or pinnacle
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gargoyle | a watersprout usually carved in the form of a grotesque figure
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gesso | a chalky white plaster used to prepare the surface of a panel for painting
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guild | an association of merchants or craftspeople organized according to occupation
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heresy | the denial of the revealed truths or orthodox doctrine by a baptized member of the Church; an opinion or doctrine contrary to Church dogma
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interdict | the excommunication of an entire city, district, or state
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lancet | a narrow window topped with a pointed arch
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lintel | a horizontal beam or stone that spans an opening
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memento mori | (Latin, "remember death") a warning of the closeness of death and the need to prepare for one's own death
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miracle play | a type of medieval play that dramatized the lives of, and especially the miracles performed by Christ, the Virgin Mary, or the saints
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morality play | a type of medieval play that dramatized moral themes, such as the conflict between good and evil
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motet | a short, polyphonic religious composition based on a sacred text
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mullion | the slender vertical pier dividing the parts of a window, door, or screen
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mystery play | a type of medieval play originating in Church liturgy and dramatizing biblical history from the fall of Satan to the Last Judgment
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organ | a keyboard instrument in which keyboards and pedals are used to force air into a series of pipes, causing them to sound
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organum | the general name for the oldest form of polyphony: In parallel organum, the two voices move exactly parallel to one another; in free organum the second voice moves in contrary motion; melismatic organum involves the use of multiple notes for the individual syllables of the text
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pageant | a roofed wagon-stage on which medieval plays and spectacles were performed
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polyphony | (Greek, "many voices") a musical texture consisting of two or more lines of melody that are of equal importance
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psaltery | a stringed instrument consisting of a flat soundboard and strings that are plucked
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quadripartite | consisting of or divided into four parts
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reliquary | a container for a sacred relic or relics
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requiem | a Mass for the Dead; a solemn chant to honor the dead
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sacrament | a sacred act or pledge; in medieval Christianity, a visible sign (instituted by Jesus Christ) of God's grace
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sexpartite | consisting of or divided into six parts
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tempera | a powdered pigment that produces dry, flat colors
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timbre | tone color; the distinctive tone or quality of sound made by a voice or musical instrument
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triforium | in medieval church, the shallow arcaded passageway above the nave and below the clerestory
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tympanum | the semicircular space enclosed by the lintel over a doorway and the arch above it
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