Dictionary.com
definitions
  • synonyms

alfresco

or al fres·co

[al-fres-koh]
See more synonyms for alfresco on Thesaurus.com
adverb
  1. out-of-doors; in the open air: to dine alfresco.
Show More
adjective
  1. outdoor: an alfresco café.
Show More

Origin of alfresco

1745–55; < Italian: in the cool, in a cool place. See fresco
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

outdoorsoutsideopen-air
British Dictionary definitions for al fresco

alfresco

adjective, adverb
  1. in the open air
Show More

Word Origin

C18: from Italian: in the cool
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 al fresco

1753, Italian, literally "in the fresh (air)." Italian al represents a contraction of words from Latin ad "to" (see ad-) + ille "that." Alfresco also meant "painted on plaster that was still fresh or moist" (1764; see fresco).

Show More
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper