fresco

American  

[fres-koh] / ˈfrɛs koʊ /

noun

plural

frescoes, frescos

1. Also called buon fresco.  Also called true fresco.  the art or technique of painting on a moist, plaster surface with colors ground up in water or a limewater mixture.

2. a picture or design so painted.

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verb (used with object)

frescoed, frescoing

1. to paint in fresco.

fresco British  

/ ˈfrɛskəʊ /

noun

1. a very durable method of wall-painting using watercolours on wet plaster or, less properly, dry plaster ( fresco secco ), with a less durable result

2. a painting done in this way

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fresco Cultural  

1. A painting on wet plaster. When the plaster dries, the painting is bonded to the wall. Fresco was a popular method for painting large murals during the Renaissance. The Last Supper, by Leonardo da Vinci, is a fresco, as are the paintings by Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel.

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Other Word Forms

• frescoer
  noun
• frescoist
  noun

Etymology

Origin of fresco

First recorded in 1590–1600; from Italian: “cool, fresh,” of Germanic origin; see fresh

Explanation

Whether you've studied art history or not, you're probably familiar with the world's most famous fresco: Michelangelo's paintings on the walls and ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome. To paint a fresco, you must apply paint to freshly applied plaster that is still wet, and you better get it right the first time. Too slow and the plaster hardens, and then you've got a lot of chipping away to do. Fresco comes from the Italian fresco, meaning "cool" or "fresh," which describes exactly the fast, unlabored technique required of fresco painting.

Example Sentences

Stop by Fresco Italian Cafe and grab an Italian ice to enjoy while on the canal.

From Salon • Jan. 13, 2026

"Even if only 2% of Chinese people want to buy durians, that's more than enough business," says Chee Seng Wong, factory manager of Fresco Green, a durian exporter in Raub.

From BBC • Jan. 10, 2026

Facing a debt of about $20 million, the school at one point considered selling Rivera’s “The Making of a Fresco Showing the Building of a City” by itself to stay afloat.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 30, 2023

For CBPOne to work, enough people must get appointments to discourage crossing the border illegally, said Leon Fresco, an immigration attorney and former aide to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 28, 2023

Next to these Stables is a Riding-House cover'd, the Ceiling of which being painted in Fresco, represents a Tournament; and all round it there is a Gallery.

From The Memoirs of Charles-Lewis, Baron de Pollnitz, Volume I Being the Observations He Made in His Late Travels from Prussia thro' Germany, Italy, France, Flanders, Holland, England, &C. in Letters to His Friend. Discovering Not Only the Present State of the Chief Cities and Towns; but the Characters of the Principal Persons at the Several Courts. by P?llnitz, Karl Ludwig von

Related Words

• brush
• coat
• cover
• daub
• decorate
• depict
• design
• draw
• dye
• portray
• sketch
• tint
• wash