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terra cotta

  • a variation of terracotta.
    terracotta
    noun
    a hard, fired clay, brownish-red in color when unglazed, that is used for architectural ornaments and facings, structural units, pottery, and as a material for sculpture.
terra-cotta
  • a variation of terracotta.
    terracotta
    noun
    a hard, fired clay, brownish-red in color when unglazed, that is used for architectural ornaments and facings, structural units, pottery, and as a material for sculpture.

Example Sentences

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They came in a small range of colors: sand, terra cotta, chestnut.

From Slate Oct. 20, 2024

It was a terra cotta figurine manufactured in Oaxaca, Mexico, sold along with a chia seed spread.

From New York Times Jun. 30, 2023

It is noted for the green terra cotta tiles on its tower that typically are illuminated gold at night.

From Seattle Times Jun. 13, 2023

Pakistan’s Ali Kazim evokes an earlier collapse with watercolor studies of the terra cotta remains of the Indus Valley culture that failed about 3,500 years ago.

From Washington Post Apr. 14, 2023

I can carry on works of sculpture, in marble, bronze, or terra cotta, also in pictures.

From Famous European Artists by Sarah K. Bolton

Originally designed to evoke a classic Greek column, the structure's limestone, brick and terra-cotta exterior features ornamentation including lion heads, wreaths, eagles, and faces.

From BBC Jul. 26, 2026

Shag carpet covered original terra-cotta floors, high-gloss paint coated nearly every wooden surface and overgrown weeds crowded the yard.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 21, 2026

Her organic squiggles, ceramics made from recycled terra-cotta clay, are literally and figuratively gutsy.

From Seattle Times Mar. 19, 2024

In Naples, where artisans craft modern day terra-cotta figures to populate traditional nativity scenes, one shop clustered figures of Mr. Berlusconi made over the years, adding a sign: “Ciao Silvio.”

From New York Times Jun. 13, 2023

Once, a shingle came loose under Dustfinger’s boots, but he managed to catch it just in time, before the terra-cotta tile could fall and break in the street below.

From "Inkheart" by Cornelia Funke

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