stucco

American  

[stuhk-oh] / ˈstʌk oʊ /

noun

plural

stuccoes, stuccos

1. an exterior finish for masonry or frame walls, usually composed of cement, sand, and hydrated lime mixed with water and laid on wet.

2. any of various fine plasters for decorative work, moldings, etc.

3. any of various finishes made with cement, plaster, or mortar, as albarium.

4. a wall, facing, molding, or other work made of such materials.

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verb (used with object)

stuccoed, stuccoing

1. to cover or ornament with stucco.

stucco British  

/ ˈstʌkəʊ /

noun

1. a weather-resistant mixture of dehydrated lime, powdered marble, and glue, used in decorative mouldings on buildings

2. any of various types of cement or plaster used for coating outside walls

3. Also called: stuccowork.  decorative work moulded in stucco

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verb

1. (tr) to apply stucco to

Other Word Forms

• stuccoer noun
• unstuccoed adjective

Etymology

Origin of stucco

1590–1600; < Italian < Langobardic; compare Old High German stucki crust, piece ( German Stück )

Explanation

Stucco is a material that's used to coat ceilings, walls, and the exterior of buildings. If you travel to the southwestern United States, you'll see many homes with stucco exteriors and terra-cotta roof tiles. Stucco is a type of plaster, a substance that goes on as a wet paste and dries hard. In fact, in Italian, stucco means "plaster," from a Germanic source it shares with the Old High German stukki, or "crust." Stucco is mainly decorative, often covering metal or cinderblock, but it's also a weather-resistant coating. While regular plaster is usually smooth and white, stucco is most often textured.

Example Sentences

At the heart of the compound is the original four-bedroom Spanish Revival mansion, defined by white stucco walls, hand-painted ceilings, and romantic courtyards.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 5, 2026

My family first lived in a gold-colored, stucco ranch house with a black roof in a middle-class section of Woodland Hills.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 10, 2026

“There are some houses that are ready to put stucco on. They’ve got roofs and everything,” said the 64-year-old, a second-generation area resident.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 6, 2026

In his obituary for Gehry, Christopher Hawthorne described the studio as a “spare, even self-effacing stucco box, plain outside and filled with light and surprising spatial complexity inside.”

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 9, 2025

It was like everything else Cecile brought into her green stucco house.

From "One Crazy Summer" by Rita Williams-Garcia

Related Words

• adhesive
• cement
• glue
• lime
• mortar