boiserie

Meanings

1. 1noununcountabletechnicalspecialist

   Decorative wood paneling, especially the carved or molded kind used to cover the walls of an elegant room.

   Grammar: Uncountable; it refers to the material or the paneling as a whole, not to individual panels.

   Patterns

   • boiserie in a room
   • a panel of boiserie
   • carved boiserie

   The dining room was lined with eighteenth-century boiserie.

   Restorers carefully removed the boiserie before repairing the walls.

   The boiserie in the library had delicate floral carvings.

2. 2nouncountabletechnicalspecialist

   A single wooden panel or section of such paneling, especially one that is carved or molded.

   Grammar: Countable; you can talk about one boiserie or several boiseries when referring to individual panels.

   Patterns

   • a carved boiserie
   • several boiseries

   Each boiserie was numbered before being taken down.

   The auction included four boiseries from a French chateau.

Word forms

Common combinations

carved boiserie

The carved boiserie added warmth to the grand hall.

boiserie panel

A single boiserie panel was missing from the wall.

boiserie room

The museum recreated a boiserie room from the palace.

boiserie de chêne

The boiserie de chêne (oak paneling) was a gift from the king.

Synonyms and how they differ

paneling

A general term for any wall covering made of panels; boiserie is more specific and suggests fine, decorative woodwork.

wainscoting

Wood paneling that covers only the lower part of a wall; boiserie often covers the entire wall.

Commonly confused: boiserie or bourgeoisie?

Practice

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