Armoire – from the French, a cabinet originally used for storage of armor; now a tall wardrobe, often painted or carved.

Bachelor's Chest – small scale chest with drawers or doors.

Bail – reverse arch handle or drawer pull hanging downward from pins attached to a backplate.

Bamboo Turning – a wood turning to simulate natural bamboo that originated during the 18th Century.

Beading – classic ornamentation using small, half-round molding.

Bentwood – wood softened by steam for bending into curved shapes.

Bergére – a French armchair with closed upholstered sides and back.

Bombé – a surface that swells outward; typical of French chests and commodes of Louis XV.

BouIle – a French cabinetmaker who developed a special inlay technique called Boulle Work, utilizing tortoise shell, silver, brass or pewter. A sheet of metal and a sheet of tortoise were glued together, and a design was cut out of both at the same time. The cut-out piece of one material was then reinserted into a corresponding opening in the other material.

Bracket Foot – right angled foot, with each inner end curved.

Buffet – French term that refers to a sideboard for china, silver, linens, with a top surface used as serving counter.

Bunching – Furniture pieces that fit flush with each other to create unified wall arrangements.

Bun Foot – a foot that resembles a slightly flattened ball.

Bureau – low chest of drawers usually for a bedroom, often with a mirror, originally a desk or table with drawers.

Burl – beautiful mottled veneer, produced by slicing cross-sections of abnormal tree growths.

Cabinet Wood – fine quality wood that is used for exterior surfaces.

Cabriole Leg – an S-shaped curve, bowing out at the knee and in at the ankle.

Campaign Chair – from British chairs used by officers, a sling seat supported by a collapsible scissor structure.

Campaign Chest – from originals used on fields of battle, a fairly low, small chest with metal corners and flush hardware.

Canted – a piece with an oblique surface, slanting backward at the sides from the central section.

Casegoods – non-upholstered furniture such as tables, dressers and bookcases.

Chest-on-Chest – a chest of drawers in two sections, usually a smaller one on top.

Cheval Mirror – free-standing mirror swung between footed posts.

Claw-and-Ball Foot – a bird or dragon claw grasping a ball.

Club Foot – a flat, round pad, usually at the bottom of a cabriole leg; also known as a spoon or pad foot.

Cocktail Table – a short-legged table usually positioned in front of a sofa or within an arrangement of chairs and a sofa or loveseat.

Commode – a low, small chest, usually with drawers or doors.

Corestock (or Core) – the center layer of a veneered wood.

Credenza – in the home office, a long piece used behind the desk with a knee hole space; often used for a computer and monitor.

Crossband – layer of wood between the core and the face ply of a veneer. Its grain is at right angles to the grain of the face ply in order to strengthen the veneer.

Deck – the surface directly under the cushions of an upholstered chair or sofa.

Director's Chair – named for its long use by Hollywood directors, a folding armchair with sling seat and back.

Distressing – a treatment sometimes called antiquing, designed to make new woods look old by means of markings.

Drape – the way a fabric hangs; this influences its ability to shape well, particularly in an upholstery skirt.

Drawer Guide – strip of wood, plastic or metal under a drawer that serves as a guiding track for opening and closing.

Dresser – from the French term, dressoir, originally a table used to dress meats that evolved into a cupboard for utensils and dishes. in the United States, the word describes a chest of drawers with a mirror.

Dry Sink – a low, Early American two-door cupboard with a sink or with an open top lined with zinc or copper.

Egg-and-Dart – a classic carving motif of ornamental molding in which an egg shape alternates with a dart.

Etagére – from the French, a series of open shelves for displaying books or objects.

Figure – the pattern or design in wood created by the growth of the tree; abnormal growths produce unusual figures.

Finial – terminal decoration used on upright posts, often of metal.

Flitch – any part of the log which is sliced into veneer.

Fluting – parallel channels, usually cut vertically; used for columns and legs.

Gesso – a plaster-like material used to make a raised design on furniture; it is often painted or gilded.

Gilding – ornamenting with gold leaf or gold dust.

Grain – the fiber arrangement in wood, giving the appearance of markings.

Hand – the way a fabric feels, refers to its resilience, drapability and flexibility.

Hardwood – a general term for wood from broadleafed trees.

Highboy – very high chest of drawers, taking its name from "haut bois" meaning "high wood" in French.

Inlay – a design is cut out of the surface and a piece of another material cut exactly the same size is inserted.

Ladder Back – back posts joined by horizontal cross-rails in ladder effect. Also called Slat Back.

Laminate – the process of bonding or gluing together layers; the final product may also be referred to as a laminate.

Linenfold – a carved motif that looks like a scroll of linen.

Low Relief – a form of decoration in which the design is only slightly raised from the surface.

Man-Made fibers – this term refers to all synthetic fibers.

Marquetry – a decorative pattern made by inlaying unusual woods, mother of pearl, etc., into a veneered surface.

Modulars or Modular System – a collection of multi-purpose units.

Molded Components – sections of furniture such as decorative panels or legs that have been molded of plastic.

Molding or Moulding – a narrow, decorative strip, recessed into or projecting from, a flat surface.

Motive or Motif – the theme or dominant feature of a design.

Natural Fibers – all fibers that occur in fiber form in nature.

Nesting Tables – set of occasional tables, in graduating sizes so that one slides under another.

Overlay – decorative veneer that is appliquéd rather than inlaid.

Patina – soft, mellow color and texture of a wood surface resulting from age, wear or rubbing.

Pedestal Table – top supported by one or more heavy, wide-based columns.

Pie Crust Table – a small table with carved or molded scalloped edges.

Pile – a fabric with a surface of upright ends, cut or looped, like velvet.

Reeding – close, parallel rows of convex moldings. The opposite of fluting.

Scroll – spiral-shaped ornamentation.

Secretary – combination slant front desk and bookcase.

Serpentine Front – chest, dresser, etc., with undulating front surfaces.

Settee – the forerunner of today's sofa, a long seat with side arms and back, sometimes upholstered.

Slub – a thick, uneven nub in yarn for a textured effect.

Sofa Table – a long table as tall as the sofa to place behind it.

Softwood – a general term for the wood of trees that remain green all year.

Spade Foot – rectangular, tapered Foot separated from the rest of the leg by a slight projection.

Stacking Furniture – pieces designed so they work together and can be super-imposed on each other for unified wall systems.

Stretcher – crosspiece connecting and bracing legs of tables, chairs, chests, etc.

Strié – a streaked or striped effect produced with yarns of varying tones.

Synthetic Fibers – manufactured fibers resulting from chemical synthesis.

Texture – the feel and appearance of a surface; also refers to the grain of wood.

Turning – an ornamental or structural part of furniture made by rotating a cylindrical piece of wood on a lathe and shaping it with cutting tools.

Veneer – a thin slice of decorative wood applied to another wood surface.

Welt – a strip of fabric, resembling a cord, sewn between two pieces of upholstery fabric to give a more finished appearance to the seam; usually made by covering a cord with a tube of fabric.

Windsor Chair – a country-style chair with a solid, shaped seat connected to the legs and chair back with round or flat shaped spindles.