# ashlar

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈæʃlə/ · frequency rank #96,749

## Definitions
1. Masonry employing flat and well-squared stone or brick, creating an appearance similar to wooden flooring.
2. Stone hewn and finished to create such masonry, either completely or as a facade over an earthen or rubble core.
3. A stone intended for hurling by means of a catapult or similar device.

## Etymology
From Middle English assheler, acheler, etc., from forms of Old French esselier (“wooden support, traverse beam”), from Medieval Latin ascelāris and assellāris (equivalent to a diminutive of early forms of ais (“plank”)), variant of *axillāris (attested only after the Renaissance), from Latin axilla (“little plank”) + -āris (“-ary: forming adjectives”), from axis (“axle, plank”) + -illa (“-ella: forming diminutives”).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/ashlar