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cornice

Architecture
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A cornice is a projecting horizontal molding or ledge that crowns a wall, building, doorway, or window, often used in poetry to suggest height, ornament, or classical grandeur.

Detailed Definition
In Architecture, a cornice forms the uppermost projecting part of a wall or entablature, helping to direct rainwater away from the building while also providing decoration. Poets may use the word to create an image of elaborate palaces, temples, urban façades, or ruined classical structures. Because a cornice marks an upper edge, it can also suggest boundaries between earth and sky, elevation, or the precariousness of something perched above.
Example
Example in poetry:
Original sample: “Pigeons circled the broken cornice, where ivy climbed toward the evening sky.” Here, “cornice” gives the building a specific architectural detail and helps create an image of an old, elevated structure.
Additional Notes
A cornice is especially associated with Classical Architecture, where it is the top section of an entablature above columns. In less formal usage, the term can refer to decorative molding near the top of an interior wall, where the wall meets the ceiling. Related terms include entablature, the horizontal structure above columns; frieze, the middle decorative band of an entablature; and molding, a general term for shaped decorative strips. Do not confuse an architectural cornice with a snow cornice, an overhanging mass of snow formed by wind on a ridge or cliff. The word entered English through French and Italian architectural vocabulary and is connected to the idea of a curved or projecting ledge.
Other Meanings of “cornice”
Also Known As
Crowning Moulding Roofline Ornament Classical Cornice Projecting Ledge
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