Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun The horizontal timber nearest the ground in the frame of a building.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun The timber of a building which lies next to the ground; the ground-plate; the sill.
- noun In mining, the bottom piece of a wooden gallery-frame.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun rare A timber
beam used as the foundation for abuilding . - noun The lowest beam of a door-frame; the
threshold .
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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Peter; 'we'll drink to its memory -- (Hout! the heart's at the mouth o' that ill-faur'd bit stoup already!) -- it brought a rent, reckoning from the crawstep to the groundsill, that ye might ca 'fourteen punds a year, forby the laigh cellar that was let to Lucky Littleworth.'
Redgauntlet Walter Scott 1801
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It reported the troubling story about the Puckerin family of St. Philip who found an explosive device equipped with detonator lodged in the groundsill of their house.
Barbados Underground 2010
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Covenanter,’ said Peter; ‘we’ll drink to its memory — (Hout! the heart’s at the mouth o’ that ill-faur’d bit stoup already!) — it brought a rent, reckoning from the crawstep to the groundsill, that ye might ca’ fourteen punds a year, forby the laigh cellar that was let to Lucky
Redgauntlet 2008
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“You would be the mair beast yourself to do so,” said the king; “it is weel kend that I wrestled wi’ Dagon in my youth, and smote him on the groundsill of his own temple; a gude evidence that I should be in time called, however unworthy, the Defender of the
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"You would be the mair beast yourself to do so," said the king; "it is weel kend that I wrestled wi 'Dagon in my youth, and smote him on the groundsill of his own temple; a gude evidence that I should be in time called, however unworthy, the Defender of the Faith.
The Fortunes of Nigel Walter Scott 1801
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Through half a lifetime of Catholic liturgies, during school years, in my professional work as an educator, for 14 years in a monastery, she lived at my inmost center, the groundsill of my spirituality. "
reesetee commented on the word groundsill
Also groundsel.
January 25, 2010