cornice

1 of 2

noun

cor·​nice ˈkȯr-nəs  -nish 

1

a

: the molded and projecting horizontal member that crowns an architectural composition see column illustration

b

: a top course that crowns a wall

2

: a decorative band of metal or wood used to conceal curtain fixtures

3

: an overhanging mass of windblown snow or ice usually on a ridge

Illustration of cornice

• c cornice 1a

cornice

2 of 2

verb

corniced; cornicing

transitive verb

: to furnish or crown with a cornice

Examples of cornice in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Windows cornice the terracotta roofs of Rome, the city’s domes, bell towers and hidden courtyards. — Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 2 July 2026

Designers maintained or upgraded as many original pieces as possible, like fireplaces, cornice work and windows. — Ramsey Qubein, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026

Verb

Throughout the red-sandstone residence, original detailing remains intact, from wood paneling and fine cornicing to intricate fireplaces. — Tori Latham, Robb Report, 26 June 2026

Like its sister properties, punchy decor from Ennismore’s in-house AIME Studios blends the building’s heritage—curled cornicing and sash windows with splashes of color, including deep raspberry red headboards and playful pineapple coat hooks. — Katharine Sohn, Architectural Digest, 15 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

earlier cornish, borrowed from Middle French corniche, borrowed from Italian cornice "cornice on a column," earlier, "ledge projecting from a rock wall," perhaps going back to Latin cornīc-, cornīx "crow" (assuming a figurative sense "projection, something jutting out" in Vulgar Latin), derivative (with -īc-, -ix, particularizing suffix), from a base *kor-n-, perhaps from the oblique of an n-stem *kor-ōn seen in Greek korṓnē "crow"; the base *kor- "corvid," with different suffixation, seen also in Umbrian curnaco "crow," Greek korak-, kórax "raven," Latin corvus "raven," and, if going back to Indo-European *ḱor-, Russian soróka "magpie," Polish sroka, Serbian & Croatian svrȁka (with secondary -v-), Lithuanian šárka (from Balto-Slavic *ḱor-Hk-), Sanskrit śāri- "kind of bird"

Note: For an association between something projecting and a corvid cf. the etymology of corbel entry 1. Italian cornice has also been seen as an outcome of Greek korōnid-, korōnís "crook-beaked, curved, curved pen stroke, copestone (in the lexicographer Hesychius)," though phonologically this is implausible. The base *kor-/*ḱor- is ultimately onomatopoeic, perhaps an expansion of *kr-, the initial of other independently derived Indo-European words for corvid birds (cf. crow entry 1, raven entry 1).

Verb

derivative of cornice entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1563, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1744, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for cornice

• cornish

Kids Definition

cornice

noun

cor·​nice

ˈkȯr-nəs

1

: the decorative piece that forms the top edge of a building or column and extends beyond it

2

: an ornamental molding where the walls meet the ceiling of a room

3

: a decorative band of metal or wood to conceal curtain fixtures