repoussé

[ ruh-poo-sey ]

adjective
  1. (of a design) raised in relief by hammering on the reverse side.

  2. ornamented or made in this kind of raised work.

noun
  1. the art or process of producing repoussé designs.

Origin of repoussé

1
1850–55; <French, past participle of repousser to push back; see re-, push

Words Nearby repoussé

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use repoussé in a sentence

  • After the repousse part of the frame is done, clean it with kerosene and pickle.

    Copper Work | Augustus F. Rose
  • The back of it was crowded with raised figures in the kind of work called repousse.

    Wilfrid Cumbermede | George MacDonald
  • From the magnificently painted ceiling, a chandelier of brass repousse work hangs from the claws of a hovering eagle.

    Serge Panine, Complete | Georges Ohnet
  • A rectangular plaque of gold, repousse and gilt, bearing inscriptions in Greek.

    The Churches of Paris | S. Sophia Beale
  • Their breastplates were adorned with arabesques or repousse work of the highest art.

British Dictionary definitions for repoussé

repoussé

/ (rəˈpuːseɪ) /


adjective
  1. raised in relief, as a design on a thin piece of metal hammered through from the underside

  2. decorated with such designs

noun
  1. a design or surface made in this way

  2. the technique of hammering designs in this way

Origin of repoussé

1
C19: from French, from repousser to push back, from re- + pousser to push

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012