Frieze
/friːz/noun
A broad horizontal decorative band, especially near the top of a wall or building.
Did you know?Frieze comes through Old French from a word for a coarse woolen cloth, and the architectural sense likely arose because carved decoration was thought to resemble patterned fabric draped across a wall.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*pleh₂-
“to plait, fold, or weave”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*flahsaz
“flax, linen fiber”
Old English
English
flēos
“fleece, wool”
Old French
Old French
frise
“a rough woolen cloth”
Middle English
English
frise
“coarse woolen cloth”
Modern English
English
frieze
“a decorative horizontal band, especially in architecture”