intonaco

[ in-ton-uh-koh, -taw-nuh-; Italian een-taw-nah-kaw ]

/ ɪnˈtɒn əˌkoʊ, -ˈtɔ nə-; Italian inˈtɔ nɑ kɔ /

noun, plural in·to·na·cos, Italian in·to·na·ci [een-taw-nah-chee] /inˈtɔ nɑ tʃi/.

(formerly in fresco painting) the last and finest coat of plaster, usually applied in sections and painted while still damp with colors ground in water or a lime-water mixture.

Nearby words

intolerable, intolerable acts, intolerance, intolerant, intomb, intonaco, intonate, intonation, intonation pattern, intone, intorsion

Compare arriccio.

Origin of intonaco

1800–10; < Italian, noun derivative of intonacare to coat, equivalent to in- in-² + Vulgar Latin *tunicāre, by construal of Latin tunicātus “wearing a tunic” as a ptp; see tunic, -ate¹