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definitions

-esque

an adjective suffix indicating style, manner, resemblance, or distinctive character: arabesque; Romanesque; picturesque.

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Nearby words

  1. -esce,
  2. -escence,
  3. -escent,
  4. -ese,
  5. -esis,
  6. -ess,
  7. -est,
  8. -et,
  9. -eth,
  10. -etic

Origin of -esque

< French < Italian -esco ≪ Germanic; see -ish1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for -esque

-esque

suffix forming adjectives

indicating a specified character, manner, style, or resemblancepicturesque; Romanesque; statuesque; Chaplinesque

Word Origin for -esque

via French from Italian -esco, of Germanic origin; compare -ish
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for -esque

-esque

word-forming element meaning "resembling or suggesting the style of," from French -esque "like, in the manner of," from Italian -esco, like Medieval Latin -iscus from a Germanic source (cf. Old High German -isc, German -isch, English -ish; see -ish).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper