arabesque
Americannoun
-
Fine Arts. a sinuous, spiraling, undulating, or serpentine line or linear motif.
-
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.
-
a short, fanciful musical piece, typically for piano.
-
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.
adjective
noun
-
ballet a classical position in which the dancer has one leg raised behind and both arms stretched out in one of several conventional poses
-
music a piece or movement with a highly ornamented or decorated melody
-
arts
-
a type of curvilinear decoration in painting, metalwork, etc, with intricate intertwining leaf, flower, animal, or geometrical designs
-
a design of flowing lines
-
adjective
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
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The walls of the master bed chamber, for example—previously cream-colored—are now decked in an orange arabesque wallpaper with swags, birds and bouquets on a light-blue background.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 7, 2026
The setups were delightful and there was also the style, with all its arabesque flourishes and attention to ornate detail.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 5, 2026
This was classic couture — in sandstone tulle, sky-like lilac, blush cloud pink and dappled pastels — with arabesque motifs on golden foliage.
From Seattle Times • Jan. 24, 2024
There, McRae hits a perilous arabesque pose on top of a weight bench and moodily drives a Zamboni over an ice rink.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 6, 2023
The nose of die diorama baby already forms, if you look closely, an arabesque.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
