dado

[ dey-doh ]

/ ˈdeɪ doʊ /

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noun, plural da·does, da·dos.

Also called die. Architecture. the part of a pedestal between the base and the cornice or cap.

the lower broad part of an interior wall finished in wallpaper, a fabric, paint, etc.

Carpentry. a groove or rectangular section for receiving the end of a board.

verb (used with object)

to provide with a dado.

Verb Phrases

dado in, to insert (a board or the like) into a dado.

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Origin of dado

1655–65; <Italian: die, cube, pedestal, perhaps <Arabic dad game

Words nearby dado

daddy-o, daddy track, dad-gummed, dad-in-law, dad joke, dado, dado head, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Dad rock, DAE, daedal

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use dado in a sentence

He was close to Gianni Agnelli, the head of Fiat cars, as well as the Roman Prince Dado Ruspoli.
I Helped Save Claus von Bulow|Andrea Reynolds|December 9, 2008|DAILY BEAST
Hence, Gianni and Dado decided to play a rather morbid joke on their Danish friend.
I Helped Save Claus von Bulow|Andrea Reynolds|December 9, 2008|DAILY BEAST
It is the background for the furniture, and should be deeper than the dado or wainscoting.
Color Value|C. R. Clifford
It is filled in to ornament and protect that portion of the wall between the chair or dado rail and the skirting.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 15, Slice 4|Various

He commissioned Whistler to suggest the colour in the hall, and paint the detail of blossom and leaf on the panels of the dado.
The Life of James McNeill Whistler|Elizabeth Robins Pennell
He decorated the gallery: delicate rose on the walls, white dado, white chairs, and pale azaleas in rose-flushed jars.
The Life of James McNeill Whistler|Elizabeth Robins Pennell
Whistler decorated the room in Brown and Gold, choosing the brown paper for the walls, designing the mouldings of the dado.
The Life of James McNeill Whistler|Elizabeth Robins Pennell

British Dictionary definitions for dado

dado

/ (ˈdeɪdəʊ) /

noun plural -does or -dos

the lower part of an interior wall that is decorated differently from the upper part

architect the part of a pedestal between the base and the cornice

verb

(tr) to provide with a dado

Word Origin for dado

C17: from Italian: die, die-shaped pedestal, perhaps from Arabic dad game

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012