Impost
Impost
(Lat. impositus) is an architectural term for the horizontal moldings or capitals on the top of a pilaster, pillar, or pier, from which an arch-springs. "In classical architecture the form varies in the several orders; sometimes the entablature of an order serves for the impost of an arch. In Middle-Age architecture imposts vary according to the style; on pillars and the small shafts in the jambs of doorways, windows, etc., they are usually complete capitals." See Parker, Concise Glossary of' Architecture, p. 128; Wolcott, Sacred Archaeology, p. 325.