ashlar
Americannoun
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Masonry.
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a squared building stone cut more or less true on all faces adjacent to those of other stones so as to permit very thin mortar joints.
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such stones collectively.
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masonry made of them.
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Carpentry. a short stud between joists and sloping rafters, especially near the eaves.
verb (used with object)
noun
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a block of hewn stone with straight edges for use in building
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Also called: ashlar veneer. a thin dressed stone with straight edges, used to face a wall
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masonry made of ashlar
Etymology
Origin of ashlar
1325–75; Middle English ascheler < Middle French aissel ( i ) er < Latin axillāris, equivalent to axill ( a ) ( axis board, plank, axis 1 + -illa diminutive suffix) + -āris -ar 1; -ar 2
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The syncopation of transparent and opaque windows, alternating with ashlar panels, can suggest the patterns of kente cloth.
From New York Times ● Dec. 12, 2022
When he began with Bambridge, it took him three days to make an ashlar.
From Time Magazine Archive
He gave it a new ashlar facing, which, as the wall was considerably out of the perpendicular, constituted an invisible buttress.
From Bell's Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Rochester A Description of its Fabric and a Brief History of the Episcopal See by Palmer, G. H. (George Henry)
The design of these entrance gateways is extremely simple and massive, depending for their effect on the fine ashlar masonry in which they are built, the decoration being more or less confined to ornamental disks.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 4 "Bulgaria" to "Calgary" by Various
All 390 the churches are built in fine ashlar masonry, with moulded archivolts and architraves to doorways and windows, and moulded string courses and cornices of simple design.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Slice 4 "Aram, Eugene" to "Arcueil" by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
