Definition of 'frieze'
Word forms: friezes
1. countable noun
A frieze is a decoration high up on the walls of a room or just under the roof of a building.
It consists of a long panel of carving or a long strip of paper with a picture or
pattern on it.
COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
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frieze
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Word Frequency
frieze in American English 1
noun
1.
a decoration or series of decorations forming an ornamental band around a room, mantel, etc.
2. Architecture
a horizontal band, often decorated with sculpture, between the architrave and cornice
of a building
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word origin
Fr frise < ML frisium < ? Frank *frisi, a curl, akin to OE fris, crisped, curled; ? confused in folk-etym. by assoc. with ML frigium < L Phrygium, Phrygian: Phrygia was noted for embroidery in gold
Word Frequency
frieze in British English 1
noun
1. architecture
a.
the horizontal band between the architrave and cornice of a classical entablature, esp one that is decorated with sculpture
2.
any ornamental band or strip on a wall
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word origin
C16: from French frise, perhaps from Medieval Latin frisium, changed from Latin Phrygium Phrygian (work), from Phrygia Phrygia, famous for embroidery in gold
Examples of 'frieze' in a sentence
frieze
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Word lists with
frieze
architectural features, fabricQuick word challenge
Quiz Review
Question: 1
-
Score: 0 / 5
Which architectural feature am I?
the pedestal, plinth, or base of a column, pier, or statue
Which architectural feature am I?
the lower part of a foundation of a column, wall, building, etc
Which architectural feature am I?
a waterspout carved in the form of a grotesque face or creature and projecting from a roof gutter, esp of a Gothic church; any grotesque ornament or projection, esp on a building
Which architectural feature am I?
a stone forming the external corner of a wall
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frieze
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frieze
Source
Definition of frieze from the Collins English Dictionary
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