Go to the homepage
LANGUAGE
TRANSLATOR
GAMES
SCHOOLS
BLOG
RESOURCES
More
English
English
French
German
Italian
Spanish
Portuguese
Hindi
Chinese
More
Log In
English Dictionary
Thesaurus
Thesaurus
American Thesaurus
Word Lists
Grammar
English Easy Learning Grammar
English Grammar in Spanish
Grammar Patterns
English Usage
Teaching Resources
Video Guides
Conjugations
Quiz
English grammar
English collocations
English confusables
English idioms
English usage
Thematic word lists
English
French
German
Italian
Spanish
Portuguese
Hindi
Chinese

Definition of 'frieze'

Word Frequency
Share
×
Credits
×

frieze

(friz )
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

Image of
frieze

picture of frieze
© Elliotte Rusty Harold, shutterstock
You may also like
English Quiz
English Quiz
Confusables
Language Lover's
Language Lover's
Blog
French Translation of
French Translation of
'frieze'
Word List
Word List
'architectural features'
Translate
Translate
your text
Pronunciation
Pronunciation
Playlists
Word of the day: all hail
Word of the day:
'all hail'
Spanish Translation of
Spanish Translation of
'frieze'
NEW from
NEW from
Collins!
English
English
Grammar
Collins
Collins
Apps
Word Frequency

frieze in American English 1

(friz )
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 American English 2

(friz )
noun
a heavy wool cloth with a shaggy, uncut nap on one side
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word origin
ME frise < OFr < MDu, prob. akin to frieze1
Word Frequency

frieze in British English 1

(friːz )
noun
1.  architecture
a. 
the horizontal band between the architrave and cornice of a classical entablature, esp one that is decorated with sculpture
b. 
the upper part of the wall of a room, below the cornice, esp one that is decorated
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
Word Frequency

frieze in British English 2

(friːz )
noun
a heavy woollen fabric with a long nap, used for coats, etc
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word origin
C15: from Old French frise, from Middle Dutch friese, vriese, perhaps from Vriese Frisian

Examples of 'frieze' in a sentence
frieze

These examples have been automatically selected and may contain sensitive content. Read more…
Everything had a dark border, the frieze of bike skid marks along the wall, the grimy seat of Phoebe's pram, the rubber stair treads.
Adair, Tom (Intro) THREE KINDS OF KISSING - SCOTTISH SHORT STORIES (2002)
Malone looked out to the wide verandah, where a frieze of five gulls stared in at the three men.
Jon Cleary YESTERDAY'S SHADOW (2002)
Her blue vest-cloak was trimmed with as many Ibran pearls as could be found in Taryoon, patterned as a frieze of stylized leopards.
Lois McMaster Bujold THE CURSE OF CHALION (2002)

Word lists with
frieze

architectural features, fabric

Quick word challenge

Quiz Review

Question: 1
-

Score: 0 / 5

Which fabric am I?

a heavy, usually watered, fabric of wool or wool and cotton, used esp in furnishing
barathea cretonne moreen

Which fabric am I?

a heavy cotton pile fabric with lengthways ribs
corduroy cretonne velvet

Which fabric am I?

a strong fine cotton thread or fabric
crepe lisle madras

Which fabric am I?

a haircloth fabric or garment
cilice knit tartan

Which fabric am I?

a type of synthetic fabric which is waterproof yet allows the wearer's skin to breathe; used for sportswear
Gore-Tex™ Lycra™ scrim
Your score:

Trends of
frieze

View usage over:

Browse alphabetically
frieze

  • Friese-Greene
  • Friesian
  • Friesland
  • frieze
  • friezelike
  • friezing

  • All ENGLISH words that begin with 'F'

Source

Definition of frieze from the Collins English Dictionary
New from Collins

Quick word challenge

Quiz Review

Question: 1
-

Score: 0 / 5

knew or new?

Which version is correct?
They've just opened a knew hotel nearby. They've just opened a new hotel nearby.

coarse or course?

Which version is correct?
The path led down to a beach of coarse sand. The path led down to a beach of course sand.

sang or sung?

Which version is correct?
He has danced and sang on the telly. He has danced and sung on the telly.

rap or wrap?

Drag the correct answer into the box.
wrap
rap
Donna decided to   the presents before she left.

sew or sow?

Drag the correct answer into the box.
Sow
Sew
  the seeds in early March.
Your score:
Nov 20, 2021
Word of the day
all hail
an archaic greeting or salutation
SEE FULL DEFINITION
SEE PREVIOUS WORDS
Sign up for our newsletter
Get the latest news and gain access to exclusive updates and offers
Sign me up
Latest Word Submissions
bug-out bag Nov 14, 2021
Keeling Curve Nov 14, 2021
flip phone Nov 13, 2021
noncomprehensive Nov 13, 2021
View More Submit
Bonfire or Guy Fawkes Night
On the night of 4 November 1605 Guy Fawkes, a Catholic, was discovered in an undercroft of the House of Lords guarding a hoard of gunpowder intended to explode the following day at the state opening of Parliament and thereby assassinate the Protestant King James I and annihilate the government. Read more
Study guides for every stage of your learning journey
Whether you're in search of a crossword puzzle, a detailed guide to tying knots, or tips on writing the perfect college essay, Harper Reference has you covered for all your study needs. Read more
Trick or treat? The eerie etymology behind popular Halloween words
Spooky season has arrived once more! Pumpkins are out in full force and this year, we decided to revisit some of our gruesome lexical offerings with a brand-new look into some of the most popular words and phrases associated with the scariest time of year. Read more
Collins English Dictionary Apps
Download our English Dictionary apps - available for both iOS and Android. Read more
Collins Dictionaries for Schools
Our new online dictionaries for schools provide a safe and appropriate environment for children. And best of all it's ad free, so sign up now and start using at home or in the classroom. Read more
Word lists
We have almost 200 lists of words from topics as varied as types of butterflies, jackets, currencies, vegetables and knots! Amaze your friends with your new-found knowledge! Read more
Join the Collins community
All the latest wordy news, linguistic insights, offers and competitions every month. Read more
Updating our Usage
There are many diverse influences on the way that English is used across the world today. We look at some of the ways in which the language is changing. Read our series of blogs to find out more. Read more
Area 51, Starship, and Harvest Moon: September’s Words in the News
I’m sure a lot of people would agree that we live in strange times. But do they have to be so strange that Area 51 is making headlines? And what’s this about fish the look like aliens. September’s Words in the News explain all. Read more
Scrabble score
for 'frieze':
18

Quick word challenge

Quiz Review

Question: 1
-

Score: 0 / 5

soar or sore?

Which version is correct?
The price of gas will soar. The price of gas will sore.

steal or steel?

Which version is correct?
The front wall is made of steal. The front wall is made of steel.

cannon or canon?

Which version is correct?
He had to read a cannon of literary texts. He had to read a canon of literary texts.

ewe or yew?

Which version is correct?
He had no memory of a ewe tree in the grounds. He had no memory of a yew tree in the grounds.

conker or conquer?

Which version is correct?
The conker season is here again. The conquer season is here again.
Your score:
New collocations added to dictionary
Collocations are words that are often used together and are brilliant at providing natural sounding language for your speech and writing. February 13, 2020 Read more
Create an account and sign in to access this FREE content
Register now or log in to access
This page in
Browse all official Collins dictionaries
About Us
Contact Us
FAQS
  • Related Links
  • Advertise with us
  • B2B Partnerships
  • Collins COBUILD
  • Collins ELT
  • Dictionary API
  • HarperCollins Publishers
  • Word Banks
  • Consent Management
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • California Privacy Rights
  • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
  • © Collins 2021
LANGUAGE
English
English Dictionary
Thesaurus
Thesaurus
American Thesaurus
Word Lists
Grammar
English Easy Learning Grammar
English Grammar in Spanish
Grammar Patterns
English Usage
Teaching Resources
Video Guides
Conjugations
Quiz
English grammar
English collocations
English confusables
English idioms
English usage
Thematic word lists
French
English to French
French to English
Grammar
Conjugations
French grammar
German
English to German
German to English
Grammar
Conjugations
German grammar
Italian
English to Italian
Italian to English
Grammar
Conjugations
Italian grammar
Spanish
English to Spanish
Spanish to English
Grammar
English Grammar in Spanish
Conjugations
Spanish grammar
Portuguese
English to Portuguese
Portuguese to English
Conjugations
Hindi
English to Hindi
Hindi to English
Chinese
English to Chinese
Chinese to English
Mandarin Chinese characters
TRANSLATOR
GAMES
Quiz
English grammar
English collocations
English confusables
English idioms
English usage
Thematic word lists
French
German grammar
Italian
Mandarin Chinese
Spanish
Scrabble
Scrabble Home
Word checker
Help
Tools
SCHOOLS
School Home
Primary School
Secondary School
BLOG
RESOURCES
Resources
Collins Word of the Day
Paul Noble Method
Video Pronunciations
Word of the Year