fresco
[ fres-koh ]
/ ˈfrɛs koʊ /
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noun, plural fres·coes, fres·cos.
Also called buon fresco, true fresco. the art or technique of painting on a moist, plaster surface with colors ground up in water or a limewater mixture.Compare fresco secco.
a picture or design so painted.
verb (used with object), fres·coed, fres·co·ing.
to paint in fresco.
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Origin of fresco
First recorded in 1590–1600; from Italian: “cool, fresh,” of Germanic origin; see fresh
OTHER WORDS FROM fresco
fres·co·er, fres·co·ist, nounWords nearby fresco
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
How to use fresco in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for fresco
fresco
/ (ˈfrɛskəʊ) /
noun plural -coes or -cos
a very durable method of wall-painting using watercolours on wet plaster or, less properly, dry plaster (fresco secco), with a less durable result
a painting done in this way
Word Origin for fresco
C16: from Italian: fresh plaster, coolness, from fresco (adj) fresh, cool, of Germanic origin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Cultural definitions for fresco
fresco
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.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.