Architectural and Engineering Glossary

M

Medium Oil Varnish

A varnish containing between 5 and 15 gal oil per 100 lb (0.5 and 1.5 liter oil per kg) gum;used for interior paints and varnishes.

Medium Relief

Same as mezzorelievo.

Medium Steel

Steel neither very hard nor very soft,usually contains from 0.25 to 0.5% carbon.

Medium-carbon Steel

Steel having a carbon content between 0.3 and 0.6%.

Medium-curing Asphalt

Liquid asphalt composed of asphalt cement and a kerosene type diluent of medium volatility.

Meeting House

A house of worship for some Protestant faiths;also may serve as a center of community activity;usually a notably plain structure,often having a square floor plan.

Meeting Post, Miter Post

The outer stile of a lock gate which meets,at the middle of a gate- way,the corresponding stile of the companion gate.

Meeting Rail

In a double-hung window,the horizontal member at the top of the lower sash or the horizontal member at the bottom of the upper sash.

Meeting Stile

One of the abutting stiles in a pair of doors or sashes.

Megalithic

Built of unusually large stones.

Megalopolis, Megapolis

A thickly populated urban region usually consisting of one or more large cities and surrounding suburbs.

Megaron

1.In many Greek temples,a space divided off and sometimes subterranean,where only the priest was allowed to enter.2.The great central hall of a palace.
 

Megascopic

Visible to the unaided eye.

Megilp

In painting,a vehicle made of oil of turpentine and pale drying oil in equal proportions.

Mehrab

Same as mihrab.

MEK

See methyl ethyl ketone.

Melamine Formaldehyde

A colorless alkyd type synthetic resin which is resistant to alkalies and most acids;used for surfacing plywood,chip board,etc.

Melon Dome

A melon like ribbed dome (either an exterior or interior dome),especially found in Islamic architecture.

MEMB

On drawings,abbr.for “membrane.”

Member

In structural engineering,a component part of a structure,complete in itself.

Membrane

In built-up roofing,a weather resistant (flexible or semiflexible) covering consisting of alternate layers of felt and bitumen;fabricated in a continuous covering and surfaced with aggregate or asphaltic material.

Membrane Curing

A process in which either a liquid sealing compound (e.g., bituminous and paraffinic emulsions,coaltar cut- backs) or a nonliquid protective coating (e.g., sheet plastics) functions as a film to restrict evaporation of mixing water from a fresh concrete surface.

Membrane Fireproofing

A lath and plaster membrane that provides resistance to fire and extreme heat.

Membrane Forces

Direct and shear forces that act entirely within a thin concrete shell.

Membrane Roofing

See membrane.

Membrane Theory

In the design of thin shells,a theory assuming that a shell cannot resist bending because it deflects,and that the only stresses in any section are shear stress and direct compression or tension.

Membrane Waterproofing

A membrane applied to a surface to make it impervious to water.

MEMO

On drawings,abbr.for “memorandum.” 

Memorial

An architectural or sculptural object or plaque commemorating a person or an event.
 
 

Memorial Arch

An arch commemorating a person or event,popular during the Roman Empire,and again at the time of Napoleon and later.

Memorial Park

A cemetery,usually having grave markers flush with the ground in large open meadows bordered by groves of trees.

Memorial Plaque

A flat marker,usually of metal or stone and often inscribed,affixed to or set into a surface;used to serve as a memorial or to commemorate a special event.

Memorial Stone,memorial Tablet

A stone or tablet set up,or placed on or in a wall,to commemorate some person or event.

Memorial Window

In a church,a stained glass window dedicated to the memory of a person or family.

Memory

The quality of a material that enables it to return to its original shape after it has been compressed or stretched.

Men’s Room

In a public building,a room containing toilet and lavatory facilities for the use of men.

Mending Plate

A steel strip,usually predrilled with staggered screw holes;used to strengthen joints in wood construction.

Menhir

A prehistoric monument consisting of a single large standing stone,sometimes rudely sculptured.

Mensa

1.The stone slab or other piece forming the top of an altar.2.The upper surface of an altar.

Mensao

Same as menhir.

Mensole

Same as keystone of an arch.

Mensuration

1.The process or art of measuring. 2.The branch of mathematics dealing with the determination of length,area,or volume.

MER

Abbr for mechanical equipment room.

Mercantile Occupancy

The use of rooms,stores,markets,buildings,or structures for the display and sale of merchandise.

Merchant Bar Iron

Obsolete name for wrought iron bars and rods.

Merchant Pipe

A pipe which is not of standard full weight;usually 5 to 8% lighter.

Mercury Lamp

A high-intensity electric discharge lamp consisting of an electric arc in mercury vapor in a sealed tube,which in turn may be enclosed in an outer glass envelope;the light produced appears blue white,but contains only violet,blue,green,and yellow components; usually operates slightly above atmospheric pressure.

Mercury Switch

Same as mercury contact switch.

Mercury Vapor Lamp

An electric-discharge lamp consisting of an electric arc in mercury vapor in a sealed tube,which in turn may be enclosed in an outer glass envelope;the light produced appears to be blue-white,but contains only violet,blue,green,and yellow components.The lamp is said to be “low pressure” if the partial pressure of the vapor is below 0.001 atmosphere,and “high pressure” if about an atmosphere.

Mercury-contact Switch

A wall-mounted switch used in interior electric wiring;contains a sealed glass tube of mercury which provides a silent contact when the switch is turned on.