cornice UK /ˈkɔːnɪs/US /ˈkoɹnɪs/noun 4verb 1forms 3 noun4 •A horizontal architectural element of a building, projecting forward from the main walls, originally used as a means of directing rainwater away from the building's walls.It is a large square structure, two and a half stories in height, with a hipped roof rising above a handsome cornice with prominent modillions and surmounted by a balustraded belvedere. — 1920 •A decorative element applied at the topmost part of the wall of a room, as with a crown molding.Challenger looked up at the cornice and round at the skirting. — 1925 •A decorative element at the topmost portion of certain pieces of furniture, as with a highboy.And blood was on the roof, and great gouts of blood on the walls and on the cornice of my bed. — 1922 •An overhanging edge of snow on a ridge or the crest of a mountain and along the sides of gullies. verb1 •To furnish or decorate with a cornice. formscorniced · cornicing · cornices
