Etymology
Origin of paneling
Explanation
The collective panels used to decorate or cover a wall are called paneling. If you have really dark wood paneling in your house, you can try to lighten it up with paint, but use a primer first because the dark stain tends to show through paint. Although paneling usually refers to wood covering on a wall, the word paneling is derived from panel, which originally referred to cloth. Panel is an Old French word meaning a piece of cloth, and that word is from the Latin word pannus, which has the same meaning. Today, there are many different types of wood paneling, including board and batten, bead board, tongue and groove, and flat or raised panels.
Vocabulary lists containing paneling
Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"
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"Firegirl" by Tony Abbott, Chapters 1–6
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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.
Before entering the property, guests are greeted with a coastal facade emphasized by blue and white paneling.
From MarketWatch • Feb. 12, 2026
"Over time, it grew. We've seen really strong growth through the years," Ara Khanikian, who supervises visual effects at Rodeo FX, told AFP at the studio's current home, a modern office with elegant wood paneling.
From Barron's • Jan. 31, 2026
She learned a lot about high-precision concrete, including the chemistry, equipment, mixing process and molding required to make urban benches, lighting and facade paneling.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 7, 2025
Another client, Dr. Venu Divi, a San Pedro ear, nose and throat specialist, first hired Greene to design wood paneling for his office.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 21, 2025
“That’s the wall,” said Andrew, pointing to the sheet of paneling sporting a framed portrait of two bluebirds.
From "Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics" by Chris Grabenstein
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.
