# cornice

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈkɔːnɪs/ · frequency rank #45,295

## Definitions
1. 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.
2. A decorative element applied at the topmost part of the wall of a room, as with a crown molding.
3. A decorative element at the topmost portion of certain pieces of furniture, as with a highboy.
4. An overhanging edge of snow on a ridge or the crest of a mountain and along the sides of gullies.

## Etymology
From Middle French corniche or Italian cornice, from Latin cornīx (“crow”).

## Easily confused with
- **corrie** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cornice-vs-corrie)
- **Cornish** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cornice-vs-cornish)
- **Corsica** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cornice-vs-corsica)
- **Connie** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/connie-vs-cornice)

## Common misspellings (10)
`ccornice`, `conrice`, `corince`, `corncie`, `cornicce`, `corniec`, `cornnice`, `corrnice`, `cronice`, `ocrnice`

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