■ noun
1》 a long speech or piece of writing, typically a tedious one.
2》 a levelled layer of material (for example cement) applied to a floor or other surface.
↘a strip of plaster or other material placed on a surface as a guide to thickness.
Derivatives
~ing noun
Origin
ME (in sense 'fragment', then 'torn strip, tatter'): prob. a var. of shred .