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E

Early Colonial style: Sometimes referred to as "first period". Not really a specific style, but rather the form created by function by the earliest settlers. Typically, most had steep roofs and smaller windows.
eave:  The projecting lower edge of a roof.
eaves courses: The lowest course of tiles or slates.
egg and dart molding: Molding in which an egg shape alternates with a dart shape. Classical ornamental design that forms a course of alternating oval shapes and arrows.
Egyptian period: A stepped stone system.  Royal tomb pyramids and temples constructed of layered cut stone block or hollowed out rock tombs.  Columned or pillared halls, porticos (entryways) and sacred chambers embellished with historical or royal inscriptions and relief sculptures.
elevation: Drawing of an exterior of a structure.
Elizabethan style: The term given to early Renaissance architecture in England, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.  Stylistically it followed Tudor architecture and was succeeded in the 17th century by Palladian architecture introduced by Inigo Jones.  In England the Renaissance tended to manifest itself in large square tall houses (like small castles), often with symmetrical towers which hint at the evolution from medieval fortified architecture.
embrasures:  An opening in a wall that frames a doorway or a window that which allows guns to be fired from.  Masonry buildings in the Gothic Revival style may have architectural decoration that resembles battlements.
encaustic tiles:  Ceramic tiles in which the pattern or figure on the surface is not a product of the glaze but of different colors of clay. They are usually of two colors but a tile may be composed of as many as six. The pattern is inlaid into the body of the tile, so as the tile is worn down the design remains.
engaged (or applied) column:  A column that is attached to the wall so that only half of the form projects from the wall.
English Collegiate Gothic: Derives from Gothic Revival, an architectural style inspired by medieval Gothic architecture. The Gothic style was promoted by architect Ralph Adams Cram for college campuses of the early 20th century. Features include:  asymmetrical front façade; pointed arch doorways; stone lace-like ornamentation; and statuary niches.
entablature:  This often decorated, horizontal component lies between the columns and the roof; in classical architecture, the entablature consists of an architrave, a frieze, and a cornice. escutcheon:  Shield or shield-shaped surface on which a coat of arms is depicted.

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