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Rubenesque

[roo-buh-nesk]
adjective
  1. of or relating to the painter Peter Paul Rubens or his works, which feature full-figured women.
  2. (of a woman's figure) plump but shapely; curvaceous.
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Origin of Rubenesque

1815–20; Ruben(s) + -esque; the 's' is almost always dropped because Rubensesque is hard to pronounce
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for rubenesque

Historical Examples of rubenesque

  • Rubens became nothing but Rubens, but all the art world wished to become "Rubenesque."

    Pictures Every Child Should Know

    Dolores Bacon

  • The hardest thing is to fit out his patrons with street gowns that will be conventional, and yet Rubenesque.

    Social Life

    Maud C. Cooke

British Dictionary definitions for rubenesque

Rubenesque

adjective
  1. (of a woman) having the physique associated with Rubens' portraits of women; plump and attractive
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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

Word Origin and History for rubenesque

Rubenesque

adj.

of a woman's body, "rounded and alluringly plump," 1904, of the type characteristic of the paintings of Flemish painter Sir Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper