frieze

1 of 2

noun (1)

ˈfrēz 

or

frē-ˈzā 

1

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

2

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

frieze

2 of 2

noun (2)

ˈfrēz 

1

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

2

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

3

: a band, line, or series suggesting a frieze

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

—Mollie Panter-Downes

friezelike adjective

Did you know?

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.

Examples of frieze in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Design flourishes like the Ocean Bar’s bonefish frieze — complete with a top hat and cigar — add a playful wink to the otherwise polished aesthetic. —Jordi Lippe-McGraw, Forbes.com, 7 Apr. 2025

Note, too, the gold mosaic frieze designed by artist Walter Crane, and shipped over piece by piece from Venice. —Vogue, 22 Feb. 2025

Its friezes depict a procession of gods, warriors, and mythical animals; its metopes, single panels within the larger frieze, narrate mythological battles of the Athenians against the Amazonians and the Centaurs, alluding to the Greco-Persian wars. —Ralph Leonard, The Atlantic, 4 Feb. 2025

The sumptuous Unesco heritage site designed by Viennese architect Josef Hoffmann, is graced by an original Gustav Klimt mosaic frieze, The Tree of Life (1905-1911). —The Editors Of Artnews, ARTnews.com, 3 Oct. 2024

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

Rhymes for frieze

• bees
• bes
• breeze
• cheese
• crees
• crise
• deas
• dees
• ease
• fees
• fleas
• flees

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!

Kids Definition

frieze

noun

ˈfrēz

: a sculptured or ornamental band (as around a building)