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Synonyms

fresco

American  
[fres-koh] / ˈfrɛs koʊ /

noun

PLURAL

frescoes, frescos

  1. Also called buon fresco.  Also called true fresco.  the art or technique of painting on a moist, plaster surface with colors ground up in water or a limewater mixture.

  2. a picture or design so painted.

verb (used with object)

frescoed, frescoing

  1. to paint in fresco.

fresco British  
/ ˈfrɛskəʊ /

noun

  1. a very durable method of wall-painting using watercolours on wet plaster or, less properly, dry plaster ( fresco secco ), with a less durable result

  2. a painting done in this way

"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
fresco Cultural  

  1. 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.

Other Word Forms

  • frescoer noun
  • frescoist noun

Etymology

Origin of fresco

First recorded in 1590–1600; from Italian: “cool, fresh,” of Germanic origin; fresh

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.

A fresco in the Vatican Library shows bishops holding the Council of Nicaea in a basilica outside the walls of a fortified city, near a lake.

From The Wall Street Journal

The paved area surrounding the swimming pool has been extended to add an outdoor dining area that sits under a floral canopy, creating a perfect spot for al fresco meals.

From MarketWatch

Beneath the magnificent frescoes of the Clementine Hall, Pope Leo spoke in Italian to praise the power of cinema to entertain and to educate – and for its "capacity to amaze".

From BBC

In one video, he raps about Rolls-Royce Wraiths during a lovely al fresco brunch with his cousins and his grandma over glasses of red wine.

From The Wall Street Journal

And the station's vaulted and arched concourse, with a dome decorated with Persian motifs, features religious frescoes and artworks honouring Christianity's Virgin Mary, the mother of Christ.

From Barron's

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.