aquarelle

American  

[ak-wuh-rel, ah-kwuh-, a-kwa-rel] / ˌæk wəˈrɛl, ˌɑ kwə-, a kwaˈrɛl /

noun

plural

aquarelles

1. a watercolor.

2. Printing. a printed picture that has been colored manually by applying watercolor through stencils, each color requiring a different stencil.

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aquarelle British  

/ ˌækwəˈrɛl /

noun

1. a method of watercolour painting in transparent washes

2. a painting done in this way

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Other Word Forms

• aquarellist noun

Etymology

Origin of aquarelle

1865–70; < French < Italian acquarella (now obsolete) watercolor, equivalent to Latin aquār ( ius ) of water ( aquarium ) + Italian -ella -elle

Example Sentences

This collection’s pink and white aquarelle palette evoked the vibrant style of the Ballets Russes as envisioned by Léon Bakst and Sergei Diaghilev.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 23, 2024

For it's a blue-shift world we occupy, Dilemma-prone, clear-cut solutions rare, And clashing viewpoints often held at bay By hues, just short of violet, that eschew Sharp contrasts for an azure aquarelle.

From Scientific American • Sep. 7, 2022

He looked out between whiles at the pleasant English land, an April aquarelle washed in with wondrous breadth.

From Some Short Stories [by Henry James] by James, Henry

He makes no attempt at the rich colouring of Kingsley or Blackmore, but, as page after page of Ryecroft testifies twelve years later, he is a perfect master of the aquarelle.

From The House of Cobwebs and Other Stories by Gissing, George

He said, "Comme aquarelle je vous promets qu'il n'y en a pas beaucoup qui font comme cela;"—about water colour being infra. dig., showing myself competent in two materials can only raise me.

From The Life, Letters and Work of Frederic Leighton Volume II by Barrington, Mrs. Russell