frieze

1 of 2

noun (1)

ˈfrēz

frē-ˈzā

Synonyms of frieze next

: a heavy durable coarse wool and shoddy fabric with a rough surface

: a pile surface of uncut loops or of patterned cut and uncut loops

frieze

2 of 2

noun (2)

ˈfrēz

: the part of an entablature between the architrave (see architrave sense 1) and the cornice (see cornice entry 1 sense 1)

: a sculptured or richly ornamented band (as on a building or piece of furniture)

: a band, line, or series suggesting a frieze

a constant frieze of visitors wound its way around the … ruins—

Mollie Panter-Downes

friezelike adjective

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Frieze and Clothing

Both of the frieze homographs derive from French, but each entered that language through a different channel. The woolen homograph is from the Middle Dutch word vriese, which also refers to coarse wool. The other homograph of frieze is from the Latin word frisium, meaning "embroidered cloth." That word evolved from phrygium and Phrygia, the name of an ancient country of Asia Minor whose people excelled in metalwork, wood carving, and (unsurprisingly) embroidery. That embroidery lineage influenced the use of frieze for the middle division of an entablature, which commonly has a decorated surface resembling embroidered cloth.

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The vibrant, and distinct homes in Guatapé, Colombia feature friezes known as zocalos. —

Christopher Muther, BostonGlobe.com, 6 Apr. 2023 When New Hope’s congregation left in 1997 for a larger space in Maryland, the frieze stayed behind. —

John Kelly, Washington Post, 2 Apr. 2023 That includes pieces of a frieze which decorated the company's office building and two bronze statues depicting men sowing and reaping barley used for malting. —

Tom Daykin, Journal Sentinel, 10 Apr. 2023 Most visitors rush to the Parthenon Sculptures, so the frieze can be seen in solitude. —

Dominic Green, WSJ, 19 Aug. 2022 Rubens, raising the temperature of the scene, amplifies the idealization by transforming the almost stately frieze into a blockbuster drama of good supplanting evil. —

Los Angeles Times, 6 Dec. 2021 The five-star Al-Rasheed hotel (attacked by Iraqis and U.S. forces in the 1990s and 2000s, since rebuilt) was still standing, with its post–Gulf War addition of a tile frieze of George H.W. Bush’s face inlaid on the lobby floor for guests to step on, a serious insult in the Arab world. —

Nina Burleigh, The New Republic, 17 Mar. 2023 The marble sculptural fragments, which include 5th century B.C. remnants of a 520-foot frieze that once covered the outer walls of the famed temple and showed a procession for the goddess Athena, have been held in the Vatican Museums' collections since the 19th century. —

Kelsey Ables, BostonGlobe.com, 18 Dec. 2022 The marble sculptural fragments, which include 5th century B.C. remnants of a 520-foot frieze that once covered the outer walls of the famed temple and showed a procession for the goddess Athena, have been held in the Vatican Museums’ collections since the 19th century. —

Kelsey Ables, Washington Post, 17 Dec. 2022 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'frieze.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English frise, from Anglo-French, from Middle Dutch vriese

Noun (2)

Middle French frise, perhaps from Medieval Latin phrygium, frisium embroidered cloth, from Latin phrygium, from neuter of Phrygius Phrygian, from Phrygia

First Known Use

Noun (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1563, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of frieze was in the 15th century

See more words from the same century