rococo
pronunciation
How to pronounce rococo in British English:
UK [rəˈkəukəu]
How to pronounce rococo in American English:
US [rəˈkoko, ˌrokəˈko]
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- Noun:
- fanciful but graceful asymmetric ornamentation in art and architecture that originated in France in the 18th century
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- Adjective:
- having excessive asymmetrical ornamentation
Word Origin
- rococo
- rococo: [19] Old French roque was the source of English rock ‘stone’. From its modern French descendant roc was derived rocaille ‘decoration in the form of pebbles, shells, etc’, which was altered to rococo as a term for a style characterized by convoluted ornamentation.=> rock
- rococo (adj.)
- 1836, "old-fashioned," from French rococo (19c.), apparently a humorous alteration of rocaille "shellwork, pebble-work" from Middle French roche "rock," from Vulgar Latin *rocca "stone." Specifically of furniture or architecture of the time of Louis Quatorze and Louis Quinze, from 1841. If this is correct, the reference is to the excessive use of shell designs in this lavish style. For differentiation, see baroque. The general sense of "tastelessly florid or ornate" is from 1844. Much of the painting, engraving, porcelain-work, etc., of the time has ... a real decorative charm, though not of a very high order in art. Hence rococo is used attributively in contempt to note anything feebly pretentious and tasteless in art or literature. [Century Dictionary, 1902]
Example
- 1. What hogarth laughs at , french rococo artists indulge .
- 2. It reminds us of the whimsical furnishings of french rococo and the romance and drama of early to mid 20 th century cinema .
- 3. An orgy of phantasmagoric rococo , chandeliers , tapestries and chinoiserie , it boasts opulent private rooms for serious oligarchic entertaining ( although the prices are surprisingly moderate , if you avoid the lobster and the shark-fin soup ) .
- 4. Sometimes they have a lot of rococo details .
- 5. After the renaissance in europe , buttons-along with many other things-became increasingly baroque , then rococo .