arabesque

American  

[ar-uh-besk] / ˌær əˈbɛsk /

noun

1. Fine Arts. a sinuous, spiraling, undulating, or serpentine line or linear motif.

2. a pose in ballet in which the dancer stands on one leg with one arm extended in front and the other leg and arm extended behind.

3. a short, fanciful musical piece, typically for piano.

4. any ornament or ornamental object, as a rug or mosaic, in which flowers, foliage, fruits, vases, animals, and figures are represented in a fancifully combined pattern.

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adjective

1. decorated with or characterized by arabesques.

   arabesque design.

arabesque British  

/ ˌærəˈbɛsk /

noun

1. ballet a classical position in which the dancer has one leg raised behind and both arms stretched out in one of several conventional poses

2. music a piece or movement with a highly ornamented or decorated melody

3. arts

   1. a type of curvilinear decoration in painting, metalwork, etc, with intricate intertwining leaf, flower, animal, or geometrical designs

   2. a design of flowing lines

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adjective

1. designating, of, or decorated in this style

Other Word Forms

• arabesquely
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of arabesque

1605–15; < French < Italian arabesco ornament in Islamic style, literally, Arabian, equivalent to Arab ( o ) Arab ( def. ) + -esco -esque

Explanation

An arabesque is a position in which a ballerina stands on one leg with the other stretched out behind her. The back leg in an arabesque might be just touching the floor or extended straight up in the air. A ballet dancer in an arabesque position is familiar — many ballets include arabesques or arabesques penchée, when the ballerina's legs are at an angle greater than ninety degrees. Another kind of arabesque is a graceful design originally found in Islamic art and later in European art and design. This kind of arabesque resembles vines and leaves, rendered in metal, ceramic, or stone. The word arabesque comes from the Italian Arabo, or "Arab," used to describe Moorish architecture.

Example Sentences

Most tourists make the trek from Lisbon to Sintra, the Unesco-designated site of the curiously Arabesque summer palace built by Portuguese kings.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026

Many contain marble, wood and metal artwork carved in ornate Arabesque.

From Reuters • Jun. 19, 2023

Georg Kell, the chairman of Arabesque, a group of financial technology companies, has a claim to being the inventor of the E.S.G. label.

From New York Times • May 11, 2023

The six options for customization include sleeves with wrap-around ruffles, couture-inspired pouf sleeves, feather-embellished sleeves, ruffled cuffs, sequined floral embroidery or beaded Arabesque embroidery as well as monogramming.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 12, 2020

But to me his most fascinatingly original work is his "Arabesque," an entirely unhackneyed and memorable composition.

From Contemporary American Composers Being a Study of the Music of This Country, Its Present Conditions and Its Future, with Critical Estimates and Biographies of the Principal Living Composers; and an Abundance of Portraits, Fac-simile Musical Autographs, and Compositions by Hughes, Rupert

Related Words

• color
• design
• finery
• ornament
• plaque
• ribbon
• trinket
• wreath