triglyph. One of the upright blocks occurring in series in a Doric frieze on either side of the metopes, possibly suggesting the outer ends of timber beams. Each plain face of the triglyph has two vertical V-shaped channels cut in it, called glyphs, and the edges are chamfered with half-glyphs, hence the three glyphs in all. In some versions of the Doric Order the half-glyphs do not occur, so each block is referred to as a diglyph.

triglyph (archit.) in the Doric order, block with three vertical grooves. XVI. — L. triglyphus — Gr. trígluphos, f. TRI- + gluphé carving.