intonaco

American  

[in-ton-uh-koh, -taw-nuh-, een-taw-nah-kaw] / ɪnˈtɒn əˌkoʊ, -ˈtɔ nə-, inˈtɔ nɑ kɔ /

noun

plural

intonacos,

plural

intonaci

1. (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.

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Etymology

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; tunic, -ate ¹

Example Sentences

It is done in water- soluble pigments on freshly laid sections of damp plaster -- the intonaco.

From Time Magazine Archive

The Descent of the Holy Spirit is greatly ruined, and in the Ascension the intonaco has peeled off, showing the bricks, so that the apostles have the appearance of looking over a wall.

From The Story of Assisi by Gordon, Lina Duff

Two kinds of intonaco are used, one hard and white, the other grey and sandier.

From The Shores of the Adriatic The Austrian Side, The Küstenlande, Istria, and Dalmatia by Jackson, F. Hamilton (Frederick Hamilton)

The loosened intonaco is found by tapping lightly on the wall: plaster is then slipped underneath and the painting firmly pressed to its place.

From Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science Volume 26, September, 1880 by Various