frieze

1
[ freez ]
See synonyms for frieze on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. Architecture.

    • the part of a classical entablature between the architrave and the cornice, usually decorated with sculpture in low relief.

    • any decorative band on an outside wall, broader than a stringcourse and bearing lettering, sculpture, etc.

  2. any decorative band at the top or beneath the cornice of an interior wall, a piece of furniture, etc.

  1. Furniture. skirt (def. 6b).

Origin of frieze

1
1555–65; <Middle French frise, perhaps <Medieval Latin phrygium, frigium, frisium embroidered cloth, embroidery, Latin Phrygium, neuter of Phrygius Phrygian

Words that may be confused with frieze

Words Nearby frieze

Other definitions for frieze (2 of 2)

frieze2
[ freez ]

noun
  1. a heavy, napped woolen cloth for coats.

Origin of frieze

2
1350–1400; Middle English frise<Old French; see frieze1

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use frieze in a sentence

  • The side walls are surmounted with a chaste frieze, and running towards the base are “stations” and statues of saints.

  • They are crowned with capitals of bronze and support the enormous beam of a frieze formed of six polished blocks.

    Ways of War and Peace | Delia Austrian
  • They saw faint images of painted martyrs and angels peering down from the frieze and vaulting.

    God Wills It! | William Stearns Davis
  • Over this they usually wear a sleeveless jacket of brown frieze, and the cap is of light brown felt, shaped like half a gourd.

    The Cradle of Mankind | W.A. Wigram
  • The frieze was composed of a tricusped arcade with small columns carried on corbels with carved heads.

British Dictionary definitions for frieze (1 of 2)

frieze1

/ (friːz) /


noun
  1. architect

    • the horizontal band between the architrave and cornice of a classical entablature, esp one that is decorated with sculpture

    • 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

Origin of frieze

1
C16: from French frise, perhaps from Medieval Latin frisium, changed from Latin Phrygium Phrygian (work), from Phrygia Phrygia, famous for embroidery in gold

British Dictionary definitions for frieze (2 of 2)

frieze2

/ (friːz) /


noun
  1. a heavy woollen fabric with a long nap, used for coats, etc

Origin of frieze

2
C15: from Old French frise, from Middle Dutch friese, vriese, perhaps from Vriese Frisian

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for frieze

frieze

[ (freez) ]


An ornamental band that runs around a building. Friezes are usually on the exterior of a building and are often sculpted in bas-relief.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.