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

And beside the chapel was the nave where Francis will be buried. —Fatima Al-Kassab, NPR, 25 Apr. 2025

The entire building was built in three major phases, researchers said, the first of which started in the mid-13th century and included the original nave of the church. —Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 24 Mar. 2025

In addition to 170 exhibitors from 25 different countries, two new sectors located on the balconies overlooking the nave were big crowd-pullers. —Sarah Kreps, Foreign Affairs, 28 Apr. 2025

The ceiling is covered in gilded wood, and light pours in through high-up windows to illuminate intricate mosaics that line the nave. —Lauren Kent, CNN Money, 25 Apr. 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