Romanesque

Romanesque - adj - Noting or pertaining to the style of architecture prevailing in western or southern Europe from the 9th through the 12th centuries, characterized by heavy masonry construction with narrow openings, features such as the round arch, the groin vault, and the barrel vault, and the introduction or development of the vaulting rib, the vaulting shaft, and central and western towers for churches.

I can't let Jeff have all the fun, and I've got a personal anecdote bearing on today's word.

I'm not just being nerdish when I emphasize the importance of translation when you select a book originally written in a foreign language. I almost went nuts reading Regine Pernoud's excellent Those Terrible Middle Ages, until I realized that the whole thing made sense once I substituted 'Romanesque' for 'Roman'.

For an example of Romanesque architecture, here's the Cathedrel at Aachen.