APOPHYGE, in architecture, a concave part or ring of a column, lying above or below the flat member. The French call it le couge d'en bas, or d'en haut: the Italians, cavo di basso, or di sopra; and also il vivo di basso. The apophyge originally was no more than the:
Apophyis the ring, or ferril, at first fixed on the extremities of wooden pillars, to keep them from splitting; which afterwards was imitated in stone.