Mitered

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. An angle connection made by cutting two pieces of material at a specific slant, commonly utilized in various forms of art and construction
2. A technique involving the joining of two segments at an angle to create a seamless corner, widely employed in both construction and decorative finishes
3. Joined by cutting the ends of two pieces at an angle so they fit neatly together at a corner

Etymology: "Mitered" is simply "miter" with the past-tense ending "-ed", so its story is really the story of "miter". The noun comes from Latin "mitra", a headband or turban, which Greek had earlier borrowed as "mitra" meaning a belt or sash. The bishop's tall pointed headdress took the name, and the word later came to describe the angled cut where two boards meet, since the slanted edges of the joint resemble the sloping sides of that hat. Carpenters and framers use "mitered" for the seamless corner made when two pieces are each cut at half the total angle, so a picture frame or a square box shows no end grain at the join. The "-ed" ending turns the noun into an adjective describing a piece cut and joined this way.

Synonyms: angled, beveled