A French architectural and sculptural term referring to the crowning or terminating element of a composition, designed to visually complete, soften, or “finish” the upward movement of a structure or ornament. In architecture, an amortissement may take the form of a pediment, urn, finial, scroll, cartouche, or sculptural ornament placed at the summit of a façade, doorway, monument, or decorative arrangement. The term derives from the French amortir, meaning “to soften,” “to deaden,” or “to bring to a conclusion,” implying a visual resolution or calming of structural force at the termination of a design.