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cor·nice

(kôrnĭs)

a. A horizontal molded projection that crowns or completes a building or wall.

b. The uppermost part of an entablature.

a. A strip of molding that runs along the upper part of a wall just below the ceiling.

b. An ornamental horizontal molding or frame used to conceal rods, picture hooks, or other devices.

3. An overhanging mass of windblown snow on a ridge or the crest of a mountain.

tr.v. cor·niced, cor·nic·ing, cor·nic·es

To supply, decorate, or finish with or as if with a cornice.

[Obsolete French, from Italian, possibly from Latin cornīx, cornīc-, crow, from its resemblance to a crow's beak (influenced by Greek korōnis, curved line, flourish).]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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