n. 1 Archit. a an ornamental moulding round the wall of a room just below the ceiling. b a horizontal moulded projection crowning a building or structure, esp. the uppermost member of the entablature of an order, surmounting the frieze. 2 Mountaineering an overhanging mass of hardened snow at the edge of a precipice. corniced adj.
[ F corniche etc. f. It. cornice, perh. f. L cornix -icis crow ]