Romanesque

[ roh-muh-nesk ]

/ ˌroʊ məˈnɛsk /

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adjective

noting or pertaining to the style of architecture prevailing in western or southern Europe from the 9th through the 12th centuries, characterized by heavy masonry construction with narrow openings, features such as the round arch, the groin vault, and the barrel vault, and the introduction or development of the vaulting rib, the vaulting shaft, and central and western towers for churches.

pertaining to or designating the styles of sculpture, painting, or ornamentation of the corresponding period.

(lowercase) of or relating to fanciful or extravagant literature, as romance or fable; fanciful.

noun

the Romanesque style of art or architecture.

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Origin of Romanesque

1705–15; Roman + -esque; compare French romanesque romantic

Words nearby Romanesque

Roman collar, Roman congregation, Roman Curia, Roman Empire, Romanes, Romanesque, roman-fleuve, Roman holiday, Romani, Romania, Romanian

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Romanesque in a sentence

“Their exuberant Romanesque character — which seems to me clearly influenced by Louis Sullivan — is quite unusual for his work, which is pretty uniformly Beaux-Art and classical in inspiration,” Callcott wrote in an email to Answer Man.
An old building near Dupont Circle will get a nice, new turret|John Kelly|December 18, 2021|Washington Post
The Victorian-Romanesque hotel, Mansion on Forsyth Park, equipped with modern luxuries, offers the best of both worlds.
Who Knew Savannah Was The South’s Secret Urban Oasis?|Jane Frye|May 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Romanesque-styled Neuschwanstein sits propped on the Bavarian countryside in a stately pose.
Where the Nazis Hid Their Art: The Castle Behind ‘Monuments Men’|Nina Strochlic|February 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It is a building of the 12th century in the Romanesque style of Limousin, with three narrow naves of almost equal height.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 3|Various

A very modest Romanesque church laboriously hoists skyward a heavy stone belfry amid a clump of elm and nut trees.
The Surprises of Life|Georges Clemenceau
In its illustrations may be recognised a series of good specimens of Romanesque forms.
The History, Theory, and Practice of Illuminating|M. Digby Wyatt
Rome had succeeded to Greece as being the centre of Christian art, which assumed the phase commonly called the Romanesque.
Needlework As Art|Marian Alford
A new style of architecture now arose, two forms of which, the Lombard and the Norman Romanesque, form important phases of art.
The New Gresham Encyclopedia. Vol. 1 Part 2|Various

British Dictionary definitions for Romanesque

Romanesque

/ (ˌrəʊməˈnɛsk) /

adjective

denoting, relating to, or having the style of architecture used in W and S Europe from the 9th to the 12th century, characterized by the rounded arch, the groin vault, massive-masonry wall construction, and a restrained use of mouldingsSee also Norman (def. 6)

denoting or relating to a corresponding style in painting, sculpture, etc

Word Origin for Romanesque

C18: see Roman, -esque

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

Cultural definitions for Romanesque

Romanesque

[ (roh-muh-nesk) ]

A style of architecture and art common in Europe between the ninth and twelfth centuries. It combined elements of the architecture typical of the Roman Empire and the Byzantine Empire. The arches on Romanesque buildings are usually semicircular rather than pointed as in Gothic architecture.