nave

1 of 2

noun (1)

ˈnāv 

: the hub of a wheel

nave

2 of 2

noun (2)

: the main part of the interior of a church

especially : the long narrow central hall in a cruciform church that rises higher than the aisles flanking it to form a clerestory

Examples of nave in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The nave columns are original to the fifth century, as are 27 of the 42 mosaic panels of Old Testament scenes on the walls above. —The New York Times, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Mar. 2025

The creators of this medieval masterpiece have been lost to time, but it’s believed to have been commissioned by Odo, bishop of Bayeux and William’s half-brother, to decorate the nave of the new cathedral of Notre-Dame of Bayeux, which was consecrated in 1077. —Maureen O'Hare, CNN, 20 Feb. 2025

Workers added an aisle that separated the nave from the choir, and large arches and octagonal pillars formed the barrier, researchers said. —Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 24 Mar. 2025

Eighty columns — massive granite shafts topped by Corinthian capitals — carry rows of arches down the 440-foot length of the nave. —The New York Times, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English nave, naff, going back to Old English nafu (also nafa, masculine n-stem), going back to Germanic *naƀō- (whence also Old Saxon nava "nave, hub," Middle Dutch nave, Old High German naba, Old Icelandic nǫf "fastening by which beams of a log house are held together at the corner, nave of a wheel"), going back to Indo-European *h₃nob^h-eh₂, whence also Latvian naba "navel, nave of a wheel," Sanskrit nābhā- (in the personal name Nā́bhānédiṣṭaḥ "one closely related"), and with variant stem formations Old Prussian nabis "navel, nave," Sanskrit nábhyam "nave of a wheel" (Indo-European *h₃nob^h-i̯o-), Old Danish naff, neuter, "nave," Danish, Swedish & Norwegian nav, Avestan nāfa- "navel, origin, blood relationship" (Indo-European *h₃nob^h-o-), Sanskrit nā́bhiḥ "nave, navel, midpoint, origin, kinship (Indo-European *h₃nob^h-i-)

Note: Compare navel.

Noun (2)

Medieval Latin navis, from Latin, ship; akin to Old English nōwend sailor, Greek naus ship, Sanskrit nau

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1673, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for nave

• brave
• cave
• clave
• crave
• fave
• gave
• grave
• knave
• lave
• pave
• rave
• shave

Kids Definition

nave

1 of 2 noun

ˈnāv 

: the hub of a wheel

nave

2 of 2 noun

: the long central main part of a church