When viewed in cross-section, a rabbet is two-sided and open to the edge or end of the surface into which it is cut.
An example of the use of a rabbet is in a glazing bar where it makes provision for the insertion of the pane of glass and putty.
In a picture frame the rabbet may hide uneven or poor edges of a painting and its support, while for graphic art and photographs protective glazing is used.
The word rabbet is from Old French rabbat, "a recess into a wall",[1] and rabattre "to beat down".
[2] According to the Oxford English Dictionary, "In North America the more usual form is rabbet".