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

The others open into large square recesses or chambers, with ashlar walls, and rubble barrel-vaults springing from chamfered imposts on each side.

From The Care of Books by Clark, John Willis

St. Lawrence Church, Lundie, Forfarshire, was a Norman structure, of which little remains except the ashlar walls, a narrow window, and outside check for a shutter.

From Scottish Cathedrals and Abbeys by Butler, Dugald

I might add," continued John, "that when the courses are not regular it is called broken ashlar; when stones of less than one foot in breadth are usedp.

From The Wonder Island Boys: Treasures of the Island by Finlay, Roger Thompson