Batter

Also called battered, battered wall

The inward slope of a wall face as it rises, so that the wall is thicker at the foot than at the top. Universal in Egyptian pylons and mastabas, in Mesopotamian terraces and in Inca walls.

Rules that use the word

Lean the walls inward. Batter every wall a few degrees, thicker at the foot than at the top, and round its outer corners.

Batter the walls. Make the outer faces of pylons, enclosure walls and mastabas lean inward as they rise, so that the wall is thickest at its foot; mark the corners with a torus roll.

Where it appears in the book

In the chapters The Ancient World, The Americas.

A feature of Ancient Egyptian architecture.

Nearby in the glossary

Barrel vault · Base · Basilica · Bastion · Bay · Bay window · Beaux-Arts · Bedding out