tableau

[ ta-bloh, tab-loh ]

See synonyms for tableau on Thesaurus.com

noun,plural tab·leaux

[ta-blohz, tab-lohz], /tæˈbloʊz, ˈtæb loʊz/, tab·leaus.

a picture, as of a scene.
a picturesque grouping of persons or objects; a striking scene.

a representation of a picture, statue, scene, etc., by one or more persons suitably costumed and posed.
Solitaire. the portion of a layout to which one may add cards according to suit or denomination.

Origin of tableau

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

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

How to use tableau in a sentence

In more ways than one, the tableaux have macabre backstories.
Dead and Beautiful: The Art of Taxidermy | William O’Connor | April 16, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The Romanians give us tableaux vivants of past works from Biennales.
The Best of 2013’s Daily Pic by Blake Gopnik | Blake Gopnik | December 26, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
The Daily Pic (Venice Biennale Edition): The Romanians give us tableaux vivants of past works from Biennales.
LIVE SEXXX with Jeff Koons | Blake Gopnik | June 5, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
Jeff Wall grew the size of the photographic print in images that reference 18th-century tableaux in painting.
The Kings of Kodachrome | Philip Gefter | February 18, 2010 | THE DAILY BEAST
And in the 1990s, Gregory Crewdson constructed wall-size tableaux that reference the cinematic image.
The Kings of Kodachrome | Philip Gefter | February 18, 2010 | THE DAILY BEAST

The guests were talking of having a few tableaux and charades, like some they had seen arranged by their older sisters.
Dotty Dimple At Home | Sophie May
There were ever so many tableaux after that—Captain Cavendish, impatient and fidgety, wondered if they would ever end.
A Changed Heart | May Agnes Fleming
Vos tableaux ont une grce, un naturel, une nergie, qui surpasse ce que l'imagination mme peut attendre.
Life and Correspondence of David Hume, Volume II (of 2) | John Hill Burton
As a surprise arrange a little series of funny tableaux showing the different birthdays of the guest of honor.
Suppers | Paul Pierce
As a matter of fact, she was not enthusiastic over being chosen for one of the principal parts in the Greek tableaux.
The Girl Scouts in Beechwood Forest | Margaret Vandercook

British Dictionary definitions for tableau

tableau

/ (ˈtæbləʊ) /

nounplural -leaux (-ləʊ, -ləʊz) or -leaus

See tableau vivant
a pause during or at the end of a scene on stage when all the performers briefly freeze in position

any dramatic group or scene
logic short for semantic tableau

Origin of tableau

C17: from French, from Old French tablel a picture, diminutive of table

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

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