cornices

noun

1. 1

   A horizontal architectural element of a building, projecting forward from the main walls, originally used as a means of directing rainwater away from the building's walls.

2. 2

   A decorative element applied at the topmost part of the wall of a room, as with a crown molding.

3. 3

   A decorative element at the topmost portion of certain pieces of furniture, as with a highboy.

4. 4

   (mountaineering) An overhanging edge of snow on a ridge or the crest of a mountain and along the sides of gullies.