frise

Frise is a term used in French to designate a horizontal decorative band that runs along a surface, such as a wall, a piece of furniture, fabric, or a page. In architecture, the frieze is the central horizontal element of an entablature, placed between the architrave and the cornice. It is commonly decorated with low relief sculpture, inscriptions, or repeating motifs, and can be plain or richly ornamented. In ancient Greek and Roman buildings, friezes often carried continuous narratives or ornamental friezes that contributed to the overall architectural program.

Beyond classical architecture, the concept of a frieze appears as a decorative border in various media, including interior walls, stair rails, pottery, textiles, wallpaper, and book margins. The word frise in French is widely used to describe these borders and patterns, regardless of whether they are sculpted, painted, or printed.

In modern usage, the term frieze also appears in education and information design in the form of a frise chronologique, or timeline. A chronological frieze presents events along a horizontal line with dates and labels, serving as a visual aid for historical sequences or project planning.

Etymologically, the word in English is frieze, borrowed from French frise, and in French it covers a broad range of border and decorative concepts. Although the specifics can vary by discipline, the core idea remains a continuous, horizontally arranged decorative band that unites a surface or layout.