arabesque
[ ar-uh-besk ]
/ ˌær əˈbɛsk /
noun
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
decorated with or characterized by arabesques: arabesque design.
RELATED WORDS
color, wreath, ornament, trinket, finery, design, ribbon, plaque, lace, decoration, tapestry, brocade, needlepoint, quilting, garbage, spangle, doodad, extravagance, filigree, flounce
Nearby words
- arab-american,
- arab-israeli conflict,
- arab.,
- araban,
- arabel,
- arabia,
- arabia deserta,
- arabia felix,
- arabia petraea,
- arabian
Origin of arabesque
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for arabesque
arabesque
/ (ˌærəˈbɛsk) /
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
designating, of, or decorated in this style
Word Origin for arabesque
C18: from French, from Italian arabesco in the Arabic style
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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arabesque
1610s, "Moorish or Arabic ornamental design," from French arabesque (16c.), from Italian arabesco, from Arabo "Arab," with reference to Moorish architecture. As a ballet pose, first attested 1830. Musical sense, in reference to an ornamented theme, is from 1864, originally the title given by Robert Schumann to one of his piano pieces.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper