Main Entry: trompe l'oeil

Pronunciation: \(ˌ)trȯmp-ˈlə-ē, trōⁿp-ˈlœi\

Function: noun

Usage: often attributive

Etymology: French trompe-l'œil, literally, deceives the eye

Date: 1889

1 : a style of painting in which objects are depicted with photographically realistic detail; also : the use of similar technique in interior decorating
2 : a trompe l'oeil painting or effect
3 : something that misleads or deceives the senses : illusion