ashlar

American  

[ash-ler] / ˈæʃ lər /

Or ashler

noun

1. Masonry.

   1. 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.

   2. such stones collectively.

   3. masonry made of them.

2. Carpentry. a short stud between joists and sloping rafters, especially near the eaves.

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verb (used with object)

1. to face with ashlars.

ashlar British  

/ ˈæʃlə /

noun

1. a block of hewn stone with straight edges for use in building

2. Also called: ashlar veneer.  a thin dressed stone with straight edges, used to face a wall

3. masonry made of ashlar

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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

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

This had become dust, and tended to burst out the ashlar casing: this shell was indeed doing all the work of supporting the weight resting on the piers.

From Bell's Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Saint Albans With an Account of the Fabric & a Short History of the Abbey by Perkins, Thomas, Rev.

The lower part still remaining is so dilapidated, with all its ashlar facing gone, that it seems impossible to fix the position of the original entrance.

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 windows of the ground floor, set in deeply-hewn ashlar work, were cross-barred as those of a prison.

From The History of Sir Richard Calmady A Romance by Malet, Lucas