“Dado” has a few common meanings, depending on context. In English architecture and interior design, it usually means the lower part of an interior wall, between the baseboard/skirting and the dado rail, often decorated differently from the upper wall. In woodworking and carpentry, a dado is a rectangular slot or groove cut across the grain of a board, often used to seat shelves or form strong joints.
Main uses in English
- Architecture/interiors: The word can refer both to the lower decorated section of a wall and, historically, to the middle block (die) of a pedestal above its base.
- Woodworking: It describes a three‑sided groove cut into wood (or similar material) to join parts such as shelves and cabinet sides.
Origin and other languages
- Origin: The term comes from Italian “dado,” meaning “dice” or “cube,” originally referring to the cubelike middle section of a pedestal.
- Spanish: In Spanish, “dado” most commonly means “die” (as in a single dice), and it can also be a past participle form of “dar” (“given”), so the meaning depends on the sentence.
