readymade

Or read·y-made

[red-ee-meyd]

noun

1. an everyday manufactured object, as a bottle rack, a snow shovel, a urinal, or a comb, that may by the creative act of selection and designation by an artist attain status as a work of art: associated almost exclusively with the aesthetic activities of Marcel Duchamp during the period 1915 to 1917.

Word History and Origins

Origin of readymade¹

< French < English; term introduced by Duchamp in 1915

Example Sentences

Concerningly though, people seeking 3D-printed guns don't need to buy readymade ones through social media.

From BBC

“Other coal-fired plants are running at 50% capacity and the country is unable to buy enough coal owing to the dollar crisis, so it is important to continue readymade power supply from Adani. It is marginally more expensive than local producers but it is a crucial supply,” said Dr Ajaj Hossain, energy expert and a retired professor.

From BBC

Up until the 1990s, the readymade garment industry outsourced many tasks to home workers.

From BBC

On view at the museum through November of next year, the readymade sculpture has been imaginatively altered by Saar.

From New York Times

AI is far from the point where the "push of a button" generates "everything readymade", say Keitan Yadav and Harry Hingorani who run Redchillies.vfx.

From BBC