1. A long monotonous speech or piece of writing.
2. 1. A strip of wood, plaster, or metal placed on a wall or pavement as a guide for the even application of plaster or concrete.
   2. A layer or strip of material used to level off a horizontal surface such as a floor.
   3. A smooth final surface of a substance, such as concrete, applied to a floor.

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

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.