screed -- Sister Jen

screed
.

1. A long monotonous speech or piece of writing.

2.

a. A strip of wood, plaster, or metal placed on a wall or pavement as a guide for the even application of plaster or concrete.

b. A layer or strip of material used to level off a horizontal surface such as a floor.

c. A smooth final surface of a substance, such as concrete, applied to a floor.

---

[Middle English screde, fragment, strip of cloth, from Old English scrade, shred.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

 

Sister Jen knows good speeches and literature: though she'll read a long novel, she won't read screed.