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Glite Dictionary
corbiestep

corbiestep

9.9
A stepped top at the end wall of a house below the roof
  • noun
  • UK
translation icon : escalón de corbie
  • The mason carefully restored the damaged corbiesteps during the building's renovation.

Examples

  • Many old Scottish houses feature distinctive corbiesteps along their gable ends.

  • The old church had a beautiful corbiestep at its gable.

  • The silhouette of corbiesteps was visible against the evening sky.

  • Many traditional houses feature corbiesteps on their roofs.

  • Many old Scottish houses feature distinctive corbiesteps along their gable ends.

  • The mason carefully restored the damaged corbiesteps during the building's renovation.

  • Many traditional houses feature corbiesteps that enhance their architectural charm.

Synonyms

corbie-step
vscorbiestep
  • UK
9.9

A stepped top on the end wall of a roof that looks like stone stairs

is the general architectural term for the same top gable projection
crow step
vscorbiestep
  • UK
9.9

A stepped edge at the top of a wall under a sloping roof

is the gable top projection focusing on the wall edge not the roof side
corbel step
vscorbiestep
  • Specialized
9.9

A stone or brick step that sticks out along the sloping edge of a gable wall

is the simple gable top projection without emphasis on material or support

Surface Forms

corbiestep singular
corbiesteps plural

Morphology

corbiestep = corbie + step (semi-transparent) = corbie + step

The compound is formally corbie + step, and 'step' is transparent, but 'corbie' is a dialectal/rare word for 'crow', so the full meaning is not obvious to an average learner.

Etymology

Corbiestep comes from Scots corbie ('crow') and the English step ('step'). The stepped top of a gable was said to look like a crow's foot or a little staircase, so corbiestep means the 'step-like' top edge of a wall.