Coving

//ˈkəʊvɪŋ// noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A concave surface forming a junction between a ceiling and a wall.

    "The gilt lantern burned palely in the stairwell, but in the dining room the ordinary shadows deepened in the corners and hung like smoke in the coving of the ceiling."

  2. 2
    The vertical sides connecting the jambs with the breast of a fireplace.
  3. 3
    A method of urban planning used in subdivision and redevelopment of cities characterized by non-uniform lot shapes.

Synonyms

All synonyms
cavecavernchapfellerguyrecess

Example

More examples

"The gilt lantern burned palely in the stairwell, but in the dining room the ordinary shadows deepened in the corners and hung like smoke in the coving of the ceiling."

Etymology

From cove + -ing.

Related phrases

crown molding

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.