(pronounced eh-KAN-thehs) It seems a little odd that a Mediterranean plant would show up in this glossary, but this flora, which sports plump, scalloped leaves, plays a high-profile role in classic architecture. Carved representations of acanthus leaves are common

(pronounced ek-SEH-seh-ree eh-PART-mehnt) Apparently this term has been around for a while, but we only just became aware of it recently, so we thought that we would share it with you. You may have heard the terms "in-law apartment,"

(pronounced A-seh-tate) You very well might hear this word used to describe a transparent or translucent plastic sheet material, either tinted with color or simply colorless. A variety of industries use these sheets either as an overlay – say,

(pronounced eh-KOOS-tih-kuhl WAHL-kuh-veh-ring) Also referred to as “acoustical wall fabric,” acoustical wallcovering is soft, pliable, sound-absorbing material for vertical surfaces is used to help control sound in interior spaces where speech intelligibility and sound clarity is essential — e.g.,

(pronounced eh-KRIH-lihk REH-zihn) Though it’s likely you’ve worked with acrylic paints in art class, chances are slim that you’ve melted down this raw thermoplastic material — consisting of methacrylic acid or polymerizing acrylic acid or an offshoot of either