definitions

rocaille

[ roh-kahy; French raw-kah-yuh ]
/ roʊˈkaɪ; French rɔˈkɑ yə /
|

noun

Fine Arts. any of the fantastic ornamental, often asymmetrical, combinations characteristic of the Rococo period, consisting of rock, shell, and plant forms combined with artificial forms, esp C-curves.

Nearby words

robustious, robustly, robustness, roc, roca, rocaille, rocambole, rocard, rochalimaea, rochambeau, rochdale

Origin of rocaille

1855–60; < French: pebble-work, derivative of roc rock1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for rocaille

  • He had a most marvelous power of invention and lavished ornament on everything, carrying the rocaille style to its utmost limit.

    Furnishing the Home of Good Taste|Lucy Abbot Throop

  • After the death of its owner society, in a fit of madness, plunged into the rocaille.

    The House in Good Taste|Elsie de Wolfe

British Dictionary definitions for rocaille

rocaille

/ (rɒˈkaɪ) /

noun

decorative rock or shell work, esp as ornamentation in a rococo fountain, grotto, or interior

Word Origin for rocaille

from French, from roc rock 1
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