the.com/archway
a doorway that learned the secret of holding itself up forever
means A curved passageway or opening framed by an arch, often forming an entrance or covered walkway.
from A straightforward compound of "arch" plus "way." The "arch" half comes through Old French "arche" from Latin "arcus," a bow or curve — the same root behind "arc" and "archer," all of them bending the same way. "Way" is good plain Old English "weg," a path or road, a cousin of the same word across the Germanic languages. So an archway is, quite literally, a curved way: a road that goes under a bow of stone.
- keystone trick
- the top center stone locks all others in place
- compression magic
- squeezing it only makes it stronger
- roman flex
- some stand intact after two thousand years
- no mortar needed
- gravity alone can keep one standing
gateway arch — 630-foot stainless steel monument in st. louis, completed 1965
arch of constantine — triumphal arch in rome built 315 ad to commemorate constantine's victory
arc de triomphe — monumental arch in paris completed 1836, honors french military victories