Cornice Meaning
/ˈkɔːnɪs/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA horizontal architectural element of a building, projecting forward from the main walls, originally used as a means of directing rainwater away from the building's walls.
nounA decorative element applied at the topmost part of the wall of a room, as with a crown molding.
Sentence Examples
The ceiling was detailed with an immaculate cornice.
The ornate cornice adorned the top of the building.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The old building's ornate ____ was decorated with intricate carvings and leaves.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The ceiling was detailed with an immaculate ____.
Word Origin & History
From Middle French corniche or Italian cornice, possibly from either (1) Latin cornīx (“crow”) or (2) Latin coronis (“curved line, flourish in writing”), from Ancient Greek κορωνίς (korōnís). See also corniche.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"It is a large square structure, two and a half stories in height, with a hipped roof rising above a handsome cornice with prominent modillions and surmounted by a balustraded belvedere."
— 1920, Frank Cousins, Phil M. Riley, The Colonial Architecture of Philadelphia, Boston: Little, Brown, and Company:
"That ceiling was covered with square compartments,[...] It was supported by a gilded cornice, carved into a thousand curious shapes and emblems, among which the horned wolf, the crest of the Avonleigh family, was conspicuous."
— 1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XV, in Francesca Carrara. […], volume III, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, page 113:
"Challenger looked up at the cornice and round at the skirting."
— 1925 July – 1926 May, A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “In which Challenger Meets a Strange Colleague”, in The Land of Mist (eBook no. 0601351h.html), Australia: Project Gutenberg Australia, published April 2019:
"The half-dozen pieces […] were painted white and carved with festoons of flowers, birds and cupids. […] The bed was the most extravagant piece. Its graceful cane halftester rose high towards the cornice and was so festooned in carved white wood that the effect was positively insecure, as if the great couch were trimmed with icing sugar."
— 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 1, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:
"And blood was on the roof, and great gouts of blood on the walls and on the cornice of my bed."
— 1922, E[ric] R[ücker] Eddison, The Worm Ouroboros: A Romance, London: Jonathan Cape […], →OCLC, page 18:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The old building's ornate ____ was decorated with intricate carvings and leaves.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The ceiling was detailed with an immaculate ____.