From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishdadoda‧do /ˈdeɪdəʊ $ -doʊ/ noun (plural dadoes) [countable] TBBDHHthe lower part of a wall in a room, especially when it is decorated differently from the upper part of the wall
Examples from the Corpus
dado• The same rules apply if you're fitting a dado rail.• Formulated for interior use only, the range is suitable for windows, doors, picture and dado rails, and skirtings.• This 1900 pub has a tongue-and-groove dado, about which the walls are covered with glazed tiles.• Sometimes a fresco was added to the plaster above a gypsum dado.• The bottom of each panel has a pattern which can be trimmed if necessary, to fit individual dado heights.• Pick out any interesting mouldings, dado rails or picture rails in different colours to emphasize these features.• Rail removal I want to take down some dado and picture rails.• Cut edging profile to the height of the dado rail.Origin dado (1600-1700) Italian “block, cube” 