sculpture

[skuhlp-cher]

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noun

the art of carving, modeling, welding, or otherwise producing figurative or abstract works of art in three dimensions, as in relief, intaglio, or in the round.

such works of art collectively.

an individual piece of such work.

verb (used with object), sculp·tured, sculp·tur·ing.

to carve, model, weld, or otherwise produce (a piece of sculpture).

to produce a portrait or image of in this way; represent in sculpture.

Physical Geography. to change the form of (the land surface) by erosion.

verb (used without object), sculp·tured, sculp·tur·ing.

to work as a sculptor.

Nearby words

Origin of sculpture

1350–1400; Middle English (noun) < Latin sculptūra, equivalent to sculpt(us) (past participle of sculpere to carve) + -ūra -ure

Related forms

sculp·tur·al, adjectivesculp·tur·al·ly, adverbnon·sculp·tur·al, adjectivenon·sculp·tur·al·ly, adverb

re·sculp·ture, verb (used with object) re·sculp·tured, re·sculp·tur·ing.un·sculp·tur·al, adjective

Can be confusedsculptor sculpture

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for sculpture

Her very first sculpture, a metallic chrome unicorn aptly titled “Space Oracle,” sits on a pedestal directly in front.
The Tiniest Jackson Pollock|Justin Jones|November 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Now, Borkson and Sandoval have created a Rorschach-esq sculpture.
New York City’s New Mystery Art Piece|Sara Sayed|September 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He emerges, barely, pared to his essence, like a sculpture hacked from ice.
Haruki Murakami's Weird, Wonderful World|Malcolm Jones|August 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“Most of the time, the body language was very violent towards the sculpture,” Adicéam said.
Pharrell’s ‘GIRLS’ Exhibit Stars...Pharrell?|Liza Foreman|May 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Historical photographs on view in the exhibition show a crazy quilt of painting and sculpture.
The Most Wanted Warhol: A Scandal at the 1964 World’s Fair|Jessica Dawson|April 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Whatever the quality of the sculpture was, it was always there, and added life to the whole.
Architecture|Thomas Roger Smith
Wandering hither and thither at hazard, he found himself in the great gallery devoted to Egyptian stone objects and sculpture.
Smith and the Pharaohs, and Other Tales|Henry Rider Haggard
Manifested a taste for sculpture when quite young, and modelled likenesses of the members of her family.
Women in the fine arts, from the Seventh Century B.C. to the Twentieth Century A.D.|Clara Erskine Clement
Her growing interest in sculpture and architecture is matched by a magnificent opportunity.
American Sketches|Charles Whibley
In Ionian and early Attic sculpture women appear closely wrapped up in drapery.
The Legacy of Greece|Various

British Dictionary definitions for sculpture

sculpture

noun

the art of making figures or designs in relief or the round by carving wood, moulding plaster, etc, or casting metals, etc

works or a work made in this way

ridges or indentations as on a shell, formed by natural processes

the gradual formation of the landscape by erosion

verb (mainly tr)

(also intr) to carve, cast, or fashion (stone, bronze, etc) three dimensionally

to portray (a person, etc) by means of sculpture

to form in the manner of sculpture, esp to shape (landscape) by erosion

to decorate with sculpture

Also (for senses 5–8): sculpt

Derived Formssculptural, adjectivesculpturally, adverb

Word Origin for sculpture

C14: from Latin sculptūra a carving; see sculpt

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 sculpture

sculpture

late 14c., from Latin sculptura "sculpture," from past participle stem of sculpere "to carve, engrave," back-formation from compounds such as exculpere, from scalpere "to carve, cut," from PIE root *(s)kel- (1) "to cut, cleave" (see scale (n.1)).

sculpture

noun

verb (used with object), sculp·tured, sculp·tur·ing.

verb (used without object), sculp·tured, sculp·tur·ing.

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Nearby words

Origin of sculpture

Examples from the Web for sculpture

sculpture

noun

verb (mainly tr)

Word Origin for sculpture

sculpture