dado

American  

[dey-doh] / ˈdeɪ doʊ /

noun

plural

dadoes, dados

1. Also called die.  Architecture. the part of a pedestal between the base and the cornice or cap.

2. the lower broad part of an interior wall finished in wallpaper, a fabric, paint, etc.

3. Carpentry. a groove or rectangular section for receiving the end of a board.

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verb (used with object)

1. to provide with a dado.

verb phrase

1. dado in to insert (a board or the like) into a dado.

dado British  

/ ˈdeɪdəʊ /

noun

1. the lower part of an interior wall that is decorated differently from the upper part

2. architect the part of a pedestal between the base and the cornice

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verb

1. (tr) to provide with a dado

Etymology

Origin of dado

1655–65; < Italian: die, cube, pedestal, perhaps < Arabic dad game

Example Sentences

Young Dado grew up in a house with no electricity and walked barefoot to school, where he used bamboo sticks to learn arithmetic.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 15, 2026

Craig Dado, who was a Del Mar marketing executive for two decades and is currently the president of Sports Injury Central, draws an analogy to professional sports.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 2, 2025

Croatian striker Dado Prso scored two of his four goals to double the lead, before Diego Tristan and Lionel Scaloni both scored to reduce the Spaniards' arrears.

From BBC • Dec. 11, 2023

Dado que aún no hay estudios longitudinales todavía, no está claro si las personas mayores se recuperan más lentamente de la covid prolongada.

From New York Times • Sep. 5, 2023

But General Dado has the advantage over General Grant in one respect.

From A Guest at the Ludlow and Other Stories by Edgar Wilson