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, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use fresco in a sentence

The room is a Second Empire design from the 19th century, featuring rich gold columns, frescoes, and glass chandeliers.
Paris’s Secret Fashion Week Haunts|Liza Foreman|July 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Italian churches are known for many things: extravagant architecture, historical frescoes, and smooth-cut marble statues.
Siena’s Disembodied Saint at the Basilica di San Domenico|Nina Strochlic|September 19, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Even frescoes and icons from the early Middle Ages already have the basic look down pat.
The True Face of Jesus?|Blake Gopnik|September 23, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Many of these buildings are covered with fine cement, and others are painted with miserable frescoes.
A Woman's Journey Round the World|Ida Pfeiffer

The sculpture and frescoes of the period of course exhibited the depraved taste and debased execution of the times.
The Catacombs of Rome|William Henry Withrow
They were sometimes, however, elaborately represented in excellent frescoes or sculpture.
The Catacombs of Rome|William Henry Withrow
In the frescoes of the Catacombs the man is represented in the act of obeying the command, Take up thy bed and walk.
The Catacombs of Rome|William Henry Withrow
In the still earlier frescoes of the Catacombs he is nowhere especially designated by name or attribute.
The Catacombs of Rome|William Henry Withrow

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 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

fresco

Origin of fresco

OTHER WORDS FROM fresco

Words related to fresco

How to use fresco in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for fresco

Word Origin for fresco

Cultural definitions for fresco