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Glite Dictionary
🪵 Wall base strip 🟦 Bordering edges
skirting

skirting

1 4.5
A strip of material along the bottom of a wall where it meets the floor
  • noun
  • /ˈskɜːrtɪŋ/
  • UK
translation icon : zócalo
  • But it didn't look as though there were any place where the rabbit might have slipped through or under the skirting.

Now Reece has put the skirting on the on that feature wall and it looks so nice.

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Examples

  • Now Reece has put the skirting on the on that feature wall and it looks so nice.

    Lauren Curtis

  • The photo of our father has fallen off the wall, but his frame leans against the skirting board, determined.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • But the main thing, well, actually this week all of the skirting is going down and it's going to be painted.

  • You know, in the skirting boards?

    Insomnia (2002)

  • That even a line of "today I painted skirting boards" was sufficient for me to appreciate the moment.

    Blog text (9)

  • I will try to reuse some of the skirting from the house and use that and replace the board because that is just awful.

    Laura Kampf

  • The morning after, Girl cleaned the skirting boards and Billy swept the kitchen floor.

    Academic text (2007)

  • Behind that skirting board.

    Johnny Was (2006)

  • For example, storage areas, equipment, machinery, and surroundings will all need cleaning, but specific checklists will help to ensure that all areas are captured (window sills, skirting boards, lights, under the stairs, meeting rooms, windows, and so on).

    Academic text (2015)

  • The carpenter installed new skirting along the bottom of the walls to give the room a finished look.

Synonyms

molding
vsskirting
  • Specialized
26 4.4

A decorative strip of wood or plaster used where a wall meets a ceiling

is specific to the lower wall-floor join rather than general decorative transitions
edging
vsskirting
4 4.8

A strip of material that you add along an edge to give a neat, decorative finish

is used for wall base coverage, not decorative fabric or rug borders
skirting board
vsskirting
  • UK
1 4.8

A narrow board fixed along the bottom of an inside wall to cover the gap to the floor

has the same meaning but is the shorter general term
mopboard
vsskirting
  • US
8.7

A strip of wood or plastic along the bottom of a wall that protects it from dirt and knocks

focuses more on covering the base area rather than on protection

Compounds

skirting board
  • UK
1 4.8

A narrow board fixed along the bottom of an inside wall to cover the gap to the floor

How Decorative

molding
  • Specialized
26 4.4
skirting
  • UK
1 4.5
baseboard
  • US
11 3.4

Surface Forms

skirting singular
skirtings plural

Morphology

skirting = skirt (semi-transparent) = skirt + ing

The word is built from 'skirt' plus '-ing', but the specific architectural sense 'strip of material at the bottom of a wall' is somewhat specialized and not fully predictable for learners.

Etymology

Skirting for a wall, the wooden or plastic strip at the floor, comes from the same idea as a skirt, something that 'covers the lower edge'. That's why skirting boards hide the gap at the bottom of a wall and protect it from damage.