What does cornice mean?
A cornice is a horizontal moulding that crowns a wall, building, or piece of furniture, projecting outward along the top edge to finish and visually cap the structure beneath it. In classical architecture the cornice is the uppermost of the three elements of an entablature, sitting above the architrave and frieze, and it often serves the practical purpose of shedding rainwater away from a façade as well as the decorative one of framing a roofline. In interiors, plaster cornices run along the junction of wall and ceiling, lending rooms a sense of proportion and formality, especially in Georgian and Victorian buildings. The word comes from Italian, ultimately from Latin corona, meaning crown or wreath, reflecting its role as a crowning feature. Cornice appears chiefly in architecture, building restoration, and interior design writing.
nounA decorative moulding that crowns a wall, building, or piece of furniture, projecting along the top edge. In classical architecture it is the uppermost member of an entablature.
- A horizontal decorative moulding crowning a wall, building, or entablature.
- An ornamental moulding fixed where walls meet a ceiling in interior decoration.
"Gilded cornices ran the length of the ballroom ceiling."
"Rainwater dripped from the crumbling stone cornice above the doorway."
"The Victorian flat still retains its original plaster cornices."
Standard regular plural.
"Both drawing rooms retain their original cornices."
Look up the next time you're in a grand old room — that sculpted band hugging the ceiling was the ancient Greeks' way of finishing a building with a crown.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cornice
Cornice entered English from French in the mid-16th century, borrowed from Italian cornice, meaning a ledge or moulding, which derives from Latin coronis or corona, denoting a curve, crown, or wreath. The same Latin root gives English words such as crown, coronet, and corona. Its architectural sense has been continuous since antiquity, describing the crowning member of classical entablatures before extending to furniture and interior plasterwork.
How cornice is actually used
Mostly used in architectural, historical, and interior-design contexts; register is neutral to slightly formal. In British usage 'coving' often describes simpler curved alternatives.
Easily confused with cornice
A cornet is a brass musical instrument or a small cone-shaped pastry, while a cornice is an architectural moulding at the top of a wall or building.
The terms overlap in modern interior use, but strictly a cornice projects further and crowns the whole exterior or room, whereas crown moulding refers more narrowly to trim where wall meets ceiling.