arabesque

1 of 2

noun

ar·​a·​besque ˌa-rə-ˈbesk How to pronounce arabesque (audio)
ˌer-ə
1
: an ornament or style that employs flower, foliage, or fruit and sometimes animal and figural outlines to produce an intricate pattern of interlaced lines
2
: a posture (as in ballet) in which the body is bent forward from the hip on one leg with one arm extended forward and the other arm and leg backward
3
: an elaborate or intricate pattern
… richly pierced by an arabesque of wormholes.John Chase
an arabesque of vines and leaves

Illustration of arabesque

Illustration of arabesque
  • arabesque 1

arabesque

2 of 2

adjective

: of, relating to, or being in the style of arabesque or an arabesque
arabesque frescoes

Examples of arabesque in a Sentence

Noun The students practiced their arabesques. She held her arms in arabesque.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Ruble perfected her movements in sync with the music and the other dancers, her head tilted at just the right angle, her arabesque hitting the correct line, her discipline and note-taking clearly paying off. Alexis Landau, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2024 But the impossible arabesque pose, captured by Jean-Paul Goude, is actually a montage of images of Jones striking different poses that were cut and pasted together. Heran Mamo, Billboard, 20 May 2024
Adjective
Particularly special is the spa’s 20-meter indoor pool punctuated by eight arabesque marble columns. Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 12 Mar. 2024 The gold is entirely carved by hand and features detailed ornamental designs of arabesque garlands and elements of the Calatrava cross, all of which take more than 100 hours to engrave. Rebecca Suhrawardi, Robb Report, 7 Mar. 2024 See all Example Sentences for arabesque 

Word History

Etymology

Adjective and Noun

French, from Italian arabesco Arabian in fashion, from arabo Arab, from Latin Arabus

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1720, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

circa 1656, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of arabesque was circa 1656

Dictionary Entries Near arabesque

Cite this Entry

“Arabesque.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/arabesque. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

arabesque

noun
ar·​a·​besque
ˌar-ə-ˈbesk
: an ornament or style of decoration that uses outlines of flowers, leaves, branches, or fruit and sometimes animal and human figures to produce a pattern of lines that cross over one another
arabesque adjective
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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