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wainscot

 - 3 dictionary results

wain⋅scot

[weyn-skuht, -skot, -skoht] noun, verb, -scot⋅ed, -scot⋅ing or (especially British) -scot⋅ted, -scot⋅ting.
–noun
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. British. oak of superior quality and cut, imported from the Baltic countries for fine woodwork.
–verb (used with object)
5. to line the walls of (a room, hallway, etc.) with or as if with woodwork: a room wainscoted in oak.

Origin:
1325–75; ME < MLG or MD wagenschot, equiv. to wagen wain + schot (< ?)
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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wain·scot   (wān'skət, -skŏt', -skōt')   
n.  
  1. A facing or paneling, usually of wood, applied to the walls of a room.

  2. The lower part of an interior wall when finished in a material different from that of the upper part.

tr.v.   wain·scot·ed or wain·scot·ted, wain·scot·ing or wain·scot·ting, wain·scots
To line or panel (a room or wall) with wainscoting.

[Middle English, from Middle Dutch waghenscot : perhaps waghen, wagen, wagon (from the quality of wood used for carriagework); see wagon + scot, partition; see skeud- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Encyclopedia

wainscot

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

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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