Nave funeral home photos. Nave is the central part of a church, extending from the entrance or narthex to the chancel or transept. Peter" or the Ark of Noah. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers Jan 26, 2026 ยท Noun nave (plural naves) (architecture) The middle or body of a church, extending from the transepts to the principal entrances. Nave, central and principal part of a Christian church, extending from the entrance (the narthex) to the transepts (transverse aisle crossing the nave in front of the sanctuary in a cruciform church) or, in the absence of transepts, to the chancel (area around the altar). The term nave is from navis, the Latin word for ship, an early Christian symbol of the Church as a whole, with a possible connection to the "Ship of St. Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Nave, central and principal part of a Christian church, extending from the entrance (the narthex) to the transepts (transverse aisle crossing the nave in front of the sanctuary in a cruciform church) or, in the absence of transepts, to the chancel (area around the altar). It usually has long benches, called 'pews', or separate chairs. [1][3][5] The term may also have been suggested by the keel shape of the vaulting of a church. See examples of nave used in a sentence. . In the context of architectural design, the nave is often the main and largest space within a church, typically rectangular in shape and flanked by side aisles. NAVE definition: the principal longitudinal area of a church, extending from the main entrance or narthex to the chancel, usually flanked by aisles of less height and breadth: generally used only by the congregation. Beyond the northern and southern piles, a balustrade, terminated on either side by the thrones of the emperor and the patriarch, divided the nave from the choir; and the space, as far as the steps of the altar, was occupied by the clergy and singers. The meaning of NAVE is the hub of a wheel. The nave of a church is the long central part where people gather to worship. Exhaustively researched and thoroughly revised, the Fifth Edition contains 10,000 new words and senses, over 4,000 dazzling new full-color images, and authoritative, up-to-date guidance on usage from the celebrated American Heritage Usage Panel. The nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. Naves are found in humble Saxon churches, and in grand Romanesque and Gothic Christian Abbeys, Cathedrals, and Basilicas. Within half an hour the nave had been cleared of people. 4dnmk, sv2j, npqs, 0tv85, hjnqgm, yjcrda, q7ow, ls8p, l372, pq4k,