(pronounced FLOO-ting)

A decorative term that can apply to classic architectural ornamentation as well as to furniture and accessories. It describes (usually a series of) shallow, parallel concave channels that appear on any surface, but especially on columns and pilasters. Fluting is always vertical, and the grooves can either run from the top to the bottom of a post or simply side by side. When the flute has a rounded top and, occasionally, a base, it is sometimes referred to as gouged. Fluting, by the way, is the reverse of reeding.