Illustration of arabesque
- arabesque 1
ar·a·besque
ˌa-rə-ˈbesk 
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
John Chasean arabesque of vines and leaves
: 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
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
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 
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
Dictionary Entries Near arabesque
Cite this Entry
“Arabesque.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/arabesque. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share