Panelling

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈpænəlɪŋ/

Definitions

1. The craft of attaching flat boards to surfaces for aesthetic, structural, or insulating purposes, enhancing both design and functionality A procedure involving the use of uniform panels to cover walls or ceilings, adding visual appeal or insulation A method of applying flexible or rigid materials to surfaces to create decorative elements, insulative effects, or spatial separations
2. The process of fitting panels onto walls or ceilings to provide decoration or protection ; the expertise involved in installing or arranging panels for aesthetic or practical purposes
3. Applying flat sections to interior or exterior surfaces for design or insulation ; the knowledge and technique behind positioning panels accurately and attractively

Etymology: Panelling began as a cloth word. The noun "panel" came into Middle English from Anglo-Norman "panel" or "panelle", meaning a piece of cloth or a saddle cushion, and before that from a Vulgar Latin diminutive "pannellus", a little piece of "pannus", meaning cloth or rag. The same ancestor gave English the word "vane", and Old English "fana" meant a patch of cloth or a flag, so the wall sense is a long way from the flapping banner it once shared with it. The shift to woodwork came through the sense of a section or division. Middle English "panel" also meant a part of something, a pane of glass, or a list of jurors, and the idea of a flat framed section of a surface carried over from there. A wall panel is, in this sense, a rectangular piece set into a larger surface, which is how the word came to describe the covering of a room.

Synonyms: cladding, sheathing, boarding, lining, covering