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DictionaryfriezeDecorative band
noun

frieze

FREEZ/friːz/

A decorative horizontal band near the top of a wall.

The carved frieze runs along the upper wall directly below the cornice.

An upper wall corner with a broad, continuous carved decorative band directly below the cornice, contrasted with a substantial plain wall surface beneath it.
Etymology
friezeLatinembroidered border

Latin frisium meant an embroidered border. The architectural meaning carries that idea of a decorative edging into a horizontal band near the top of a wall.

In context

Brooklyn Museum41:29
she arranged the rag board around the building as a kind of a frieze.
Hannah Wilke: Sculptor and Sculpture

More examples

  • The dining room's frieze features a pattern of leaves.
  • Workers carefully restore the carved frieze above the windows.
  • Colorful friezes decorate the tops of the lobby walls.

Forms

frieze · friezes

Similar words

border
Can decorate any edge, not just the top of a wall.
band
Describes any strip and does not necessarily imply decoration.