Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Arabesque
Arˊa-besque′
,Noun.
[F.
arabesque
, fr. It. arabesco
, fr. Arabo
Arab.] A style of ornamentation either painted, inlaid, or carved in low relief. It consists of a pattern in which plants, fruits, foliage, etc., as well as figures of men and animals, real or imaginary, are fantastically interlaced or put together.
☞ It was employed in Roman imperial ornamentation, and appeared, without the animal figures, in Moorish and Arabic decorative art. (See
Moresque
.) The arabesques of the Renaissance were founded on Greco-Roman work. Arˊa-besque′
,Adj.
1.
Arabian.
[Obs.]
2.
Relating to, or exhibiting, the style of ornament called arabesque;
as,
. arabesque
frescoesWebster 1828 Edition
Arabesque
ARABESQUE
,Definition 2024
arabesque
arabesque
English
An arabesque (ballet).
arabesque on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
Noun
arabesque (plural arabesques)
- An elaborate design of intertwined floral figures or complex geometrical patterns. This ornamental design is mainly used in Islamic Art and architecture.
- 1907, Robert W[illiam] Chambers, “chapter V”, in The Younger Set (Project Gutenberg; EBook #14852), New York, N.Y.: A. L. Burt Company, published 1 February 2005 (Project Gutenberg version), OCLC 4241346:
- The house of Ruthven was a small but ultra-modern limestone affair, between Madison and Fifth ; […]. As a matter of fact its narrow ornate façade presented not a single quiet space that the eyes might rest on after a tiring attempt to follow and codify the arabesques, foliations, and intricate vermiculations of what some disrespectfully dubbed as “ near-aissance.”
-
- (music) An ornate composition, especially for the piano.
- (ballet) A dance position in which the dancer stands on one leg, with the other raised backwards, and the arms outstretched.
Translations
ornamental design used in Islamic Art
(music) ornate composition
French
Etymology
Borrowing from Italian arabesco.
Noun
arabesque f (plural arabesques)
Adjective
arabesque m, f (plural arabesques)
- (obsolete) Arabic (relating to Arabic peoples)