Wordnet 3.0
NOUN (1)
1.
a slight convexity in the shaft of a column;
compensates for the illusion of concavity that viewers experience when the sides are perfectly straight;
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Entasis \En"ta*sis\, n. [NL., from Gr. ? a stretching; fr. ?; ?
in + ? to extend.]
1. (Arch.) A slight convex swelling of the shaft of a column.
[1913 Webster]
2. (Med.) Same as Entasia.
[1913 Webster]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
entasis
n 1: a slight convexity in the shaft of a column; compensates
for the illusion of concavity that viewers experience when
the sides are perfectly straight