aquarelle

American  

[ak-wuh-rel, ah-kwuh-, a-kwa-rel] / ˌæk wəˈrɛl, ˌɑ kwə-, a kwaˈrɛl /

noun

plural

aquarelles

1. a watercolor.

2. Printing. a printed picture that has been colored manually by applying watercolor through stencils, each color requiring a different stencil.

---

aquarelle British  

/ ˌækwəˈrɛl /

noun

1. a method of watercolour painting in transparent washes

2. a painting done in this way

---

Other Word Forms

• aquarellist
  noun

Etymology

Origin of aquarelle

1865–70; < French < Italian acquarella (now obsolete) watercolor, equivalent to Latin aquār ( ius ) of water ( see aquarium) + Italian -ella -elle

Example Sentences

This collection’s pink and white aquarelle palette evoked the vibrant style of the Ballets Russes as envisioned by Léon Bakst and Sergei Diaghilev.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 23, 2024

For it's a blue-shift world we occupy, Dilemma-prone, clear-cut solutions rare, And clashing viewpoints often held at bay By hues, just short of violet, that eschew Sharp contrasts for an azure aquarelle.

From Scientific American • Sep. 7, 2022

The aquarelle in the Luxembourg is more plastic, more jewelled than the oil; Moreau often failed in the working-out of his ideas.

From Promenades of an Impressionist by Huneker, James

He said, "Comme aquarelle je vous promets qu'il n'y en a pas beaucoup qui font comme cela;"—about water colour being infra. dig., showing myself competent in two materials can only raise me.

From The Life, Letters and Work of Frederic Leighton Volume II by Barrington, Mrs. Russell

It gives a shallow colour; and even those who love their sky streaked and tumbled into the chaos of smoke should not be allowed to defend the aquarelle that colours their buildings.

From London Impressions Etchings and Pictures in Photogravure by Meynell, Alice Christiana Thompson