(French from Lat. arcus volutus), the under curve or' surface of an arch, from impost to impost. The archivolt is sometimes quite plain, with square edges, in which case the term sofit is applicable to it. This kind of archivolt is used in the Roman and Romanesque styles, including those buildings in England which are by some considered as Saxon and in the Early Norman. In later Norman work it usually has the edges moulded or chamfered off; and towards the end of that style, and throughout all the Gothic styles, it is frequently divided into several concentric portions, each projecting beyond that which is beneath (or within) it,