morbidezza

American  

[mawr-bi-det-suh, mawr-bee-det-tsah] / ˌmɔr bɪˈdɛt sə, mɔr biˈdɛt tsɑ /

noun

Fine Arts.

1. the effect of extreme softness and delicacy in pictorial and sculptural representations.

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Etymology

Origin of morbidezza

1615–25; < Italian, equivalent to morbid ( o ) delicate ( see morbid) + -ezza -ice

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

morbidezza

"He can't persuade us, Lady Auriol, that he is afflicted with the morbidezza of 1830."

From The Mountebank by William John Locke

The rather triste expression, the veiled look of the eyes, the morbidezza of the flesh tones, and the general sense of amplitude and grace give us a Fortuny who knew how to paint broadly.

From Promenades of an Impressionist by James Huneker

Perhaps only a valetudinarian would have been capable of this morbidezza of touch, this marriage of virile thought and feminine caprice.

From Amiel's Journal by Mrs. Humphry Ward

The colouring was more soft and Roman, with the dull gleam of pearls, a distinguished pallor, morbidezza.

From The Prose Writings of Heinrich Heine by Heinrich Heine

She was tall, and her lovely arms showed through the black gauze of her dress with an exquisite roundness and morbidezza.

From Suburban Sketches by William Dean Howells

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