tableau

American  

[ta-bloh, tab-loh] / tæˈbloʊ, ˈtæb loʊ /

noun

plural

tableaux, tableaus

1. a picture, as of a scene.

2. a picturesque grouping of persons or objects; a striking scene.

3. a representation of a picture, statue, scene, etc., by one or more persons suitably costumed and posed.

4. Solitaire. the portion of a layout to which one may add cards according to suit or denomination.

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tableau British  

/ ˈtæbləʊ /

noun

1. See tableau vivant

2. a pause during or at the end of a scene on stage when all the performers briefly freeze in position

3. any dramatic group or scene

4. logic short for semantic tableau

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Etymology

Origin of tableau

First recorded in 1690–1700; from French: “board, picture,” Middle French tablel, diminutive of table table

Example Sentences

As if Mr. Maher’s tableau weren’t enough, the evening’s varied cast now includes the champion U.S. men’s hockey team, fresh from the Olympics.

From The Wall Street Journal

His tableaux don’t always succeed, but when they do, their strangeness hints at things beyond ordinary ken.

From The Wall Street Journal

This is the dismal tableau today in Venezuela’s Maracaibo Basin, which, for much of the last century, was one of the globe’s leading sources of petroleum.

From Los Angeles Times

I present to you a familiar domestic tableau: a refrigerator door swinging open to reveal a crowd of condiments purchased for a single recipe.

From Salon

Unlike military parades in many Western capitals, India's Republic Day also blends displays of its military capability with cultural performances and regional tableaux, projecting both power and diversity.

From BBC

Related Words

• illustration
• spectacle