wainscot

wainscot
/wayn"skeuht, -skot, -skoht/, n., v., wainscoted, wainscoting or (esp. Brit.) wainscotted, wainscotting.
n.
1. wood, esp. oak and usually in the form of paneling, for lining interior walls.
2. the lining itself, esp. as covering the lower portion of a wall.
3. a dado, esp. of wood, lining an interior wall.
4. Brit. oak of superior quality and cut, imported from the Baltic countries for fine woodwork.
v.t.
5. to line the walls of (a room, hallway, etc.) with or as if with woodwork: a room wainscoted in oak.
[1325-75; ME < MLG or MD wagenschot, equiv. to wagen WAIN + schot ( < ?)]

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      interior paneling in general and, more specifically, paneling that covers only the lower portion of an interior wall or partition. It has a decorative or protective function and is usually of wood, although tile and marble have at times been popular. The molding along the upper edge is called a wainscot cap and may serve as a chair rail.

      Traditionally, British wainscot was made of oak—imported from Russia, Germany, or Holland—and wainscot oak remains a term for select, quartersawn oak for paneling. A typical use of wainscot appears in early English Renaissance mansions where oak paneling to a height of 8 or 10 feet (2.5 to 3 m) was installed and hung with paintings or armour. The French equivalent for wainscot is boiserie. The latter term's use is generally reserved, however, for the profusely decorated paneling, often carved in low relief, of the 17th and 18th centuries in France. Boiserie commonly covers the wall up to the ceiling and may also be painted, gilded, or, in some instances, inlaid.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Wainscot — Wain scot, n. [OD. waeghe schot, D. wagen schot, a clapboard, fr. OD. waeg, weeg, a wall (akin to AS. wah; cf. Icel. veggr) + schot a covering of boards (akin to E. shot, shoot).] [1913 Webster] 1. Oaken timber or boarding. [Obs.] [1913 Webster]… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Wainscot — Wain scot, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Wainscoted}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Wainscoting}.] To line with boards or panelwork, or as if with panelwork; as, to wainscot a hall. [1913 Webster] Music soundeth better in chambers wainscoted than hanged. Bacon. [1913… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • wainscot — [wān′skät΄, wān′skət] n. [ME waynescote < MDu wagenschot, wainscot, as if < wagen (see WAIN), but prob. < base akin to OS weg, OE wag, wall, orig. woven work (< IE base * wei > WITHE) + schot, a board, pale, prob. < or akin to… …   English World dictionary

  • wainscot — (n.) mid 14c., imported oak of superior quality, probably from M.Du. or M.Flem. waghenscote superior quality oak wood, board used for paneling (though neither of these is attested as early as the English word), related to M.L.G. wagenschot (late… …   Etymology dictionary

  • wainscot — meaning ‘panelling on the lower part of a wall near the floor’, has derivative forms wainscoted, wainscoting (one t in each) …   Modern English usage

  • wainscot — ► NOUN ▪ an area of wooden panelling on the lower part of the walls of a room. ► VERB (wainscoted, wainscoting or wainscotted, wainscotting) ▪ line (a room or wall) with wooden panelling. DERIVATIVES wainscoting (also …   English terms dictionary

  • wainscot — 1. noun /ˈweɪnskɒt/ An area of wooden (especially oaken) panelling on the lower part of a room’s walls. …this fellow will but join you together as they join wainscot; then one of you will prove a shrunk panel, and like green timber, warp, warp.… …   Wiktionary

  • Wainscot — This very unusual name derives from the Olde German, Wagenshot and is a job descriptive metonymic for a maker of high quality panel work and skirting boards. The word is first recorded in England in 1548, whilst Samuel Pepys Diary for September… …   Surnames reference

  • wainscot — [14] Wainscot was borrowed from Middle Low German wagenschot. It is not altogether clear what the origins of this were, but the generally accepted theory is that it is a compound of wagen ‘waggon’ and schot ‘planks, boards’, and that it therefore …   The Hutchinson dictionary of word origins

  • wainscot — UK [ˈweɪnskət] / US [ˈweɪnskət] / US [ˈweɪnˌskɑt] noun [countable] Word forms wainscot : singular wainscot plural wainscots the bottom part of the walls in a room, especially when it is covered with wood …   English dictionary

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