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T

terracotta:  A hard semi-fired waterproof ceramic clay used in pottery and building construction. A brownish orange color.
terrazzo:  A flooring material of marble or stone chips set in mortar and polished when dry.
tessera (plural tesserae):  Small pieces of stone, glass, etc. used in making a mosaic.
tie beam: A horizontal beam forming the base of a triangular supporting structure for a pitched roof, connecting the two side walls and supporting a pair of principals.
timber-framing:  Method of construction where the walls are built of timber framework with the spaces filled in by plaster or brickwork. Sometimes the timber is covered over with plaster or boarding laid horizontally.
tongue and groove:  A type of wooden siding with the edge of one board fitting into the groove of the next.
torchéres:  A usually tall floor lamp with a bowl-shaped part that diffuses the light or directs it upward.
town houses: Urban row houses, commonly three or four stories in height with a flat or very low-pitched roof; mullions divide both the upper and lower window sashes vertically into two panes.
tracery:  Ornamental stonework most often seen supporting window glass in the form of trefoils (tracery in three foils)  and cinquefoils (tracery in five foils).  Sometimes used merely as decoration on panels and moldings and then called ‘blind’ tracery. 
transept:  In cathedral architecture, the north and south projections or “arms” of the cross.  The transept gives a basilica the shape of a Latin cross and usually serves to separate the main area of the building from an apse at the end.
trefoil:  An ornamental form that has three parts.
trusses:  Supporting structures or frameworks composed of beams, girders, or rods.
Tudor style: Heavy chimneys and decorative half-timbering give Tudor style houses a Medieval flavor. The Tudor style is sometimes called Medieval Revival.  Highlights include half-timbering; steep roof; grouped tall, narrow, multi-paned windows; massive decorated chimneys; and use of brick.
Tuscan style: Also known as Italiante, Lombard, or simply, the bracketed style, it became the most popular housing style in Victorian America. Features include low-pitched or flat roof; wide, overhanging eaves; porch toped with balustraded balconies; side bay window, heavily molded double doors; Roman or segmented arches above windows and doors.
turret:  A small tower or tower-shaped projection on a building.

tympanum:  A panel above a main portal or doorway, usually heavily decorated.

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