terracotta

American  

[ter-uh-kot-uh] / ˈtɛr əˈkɒt ə /

Or terra-cotta terra cotta

noun

• terracottas
  plural

1. 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.

2. something made of terracotta.

3. a brownish-orange color like that of unglazed terracotta.

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adjective

1. made of or having the color of terracotta.

terracotta British  

/ ˌtɛrəˈkɒtə /

noun

1. a hard unglazed brownish-red earthenware, or the clay from which it is made

2. something made of terracotta, such as a sculpture

3. a strong reddish-brown to brownish-orange colour

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adjective

1. made of terracotta

   a terracotta urn

2. of the colour terracotta

   a terracotta carpet

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• terracottas
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of terracotta

First recorded in 1715–25; from Italian: literally, “baked earth, cooked earth,” from Latin terra cocta; see origin at thirsty, cook ¹ ( def. )

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

terracotta terracottas

Maria Vanda Lopes was preparing to pay her respects to a tiny terracotta statue of Our Lady, which according to legend was retrieved by fishermen in 1717.

From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026

We visited the road where he used to live, which featured tile-fronted houses with terracotta roofs.

From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026

Hardwood floors run throughout the property, including in the bedrooms, save for the entryway which features a terracotta tile and a wrought iron staircase leading up to the second level.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026

“That is the goddess Cybele—our most precious object in the Myrmekion collection,” said Tomasz Dziurdzik, chief curator of the ancient art collection at the National Museum in Warsaw, pointing to a terracotta figurine.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 3, 2026

Above them, the evening sky glowed a murky terracotta, the same colour as the building’s walls.

From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan

We encounter paintings on canvas and on copper; bronzes, terracottas and an impressive ivory; dispassionate portraits, intimate sketches and pitiless caricatures.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026

Much more expensive and much less fragile, the marble versions were considered supreme, while the terracottas were deemed provisional and even dispensable.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026

Anthony Radcliffe, who has died aged 77, was a leading curator at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London for more than 30 years, and the most gifted connoisseur of Italian bronzes and terracottas of his generation.

From The Guardian ● Feb. 23, 2011

Rustici left his own interpretations of Leonardo’s murals in the form of terracottas for which, as Vasari noted, there was considerable demand.

From New York Times ● Dec. 13, 2010

Naturally enough the later terracottas would keep close to the old tradition.

From The American Journal of Archaeology, 1893-1 by Various

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