Definition of fresco
frescoes
1 : the art of painting on freshly spread moist lime plaster with water-based pigments
2 : a painting executed in fresco
fresco
transitive verbIndulge Your Inner Word Nerd
Recent Examples of fresco from the Web
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A turkey fresco sub at Potbelly has 720 calories, and a chicken burrito from Chipotle can pack more than 1,000.
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Al fresco dining is at the heart of The Village’s culture, says General Manager Hugh Crawford.
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Some of these grand palazzos are as large as 30,000 square feet and boast grand halls filled with original frescoes, ancient silk wall coverings and gold-leaf paneling.
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A local dining spot is offering lovers of dogs and wine a chance to come together to enjoy both al fresco.
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That revelation allowed archaeologists to date the frescoes to the second half of the fourth century, when this iconography was common.
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The Morton Arboretum is serving up some live entertainment al fresco again this summer.
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Memorial Day Weekend is finally here, bringing with it plenty of opportunities for some favorite warm weather past-times: barbecuing, picnicking, and al fresco drinking.
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For centuries, the only way for women to get to a dozen Goya frescoes at the Aula Dei monastary in northern Spain was to pass through monks’ living quarters.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'fresco'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Did You Know?
The Italian word fresco means “fresh” and comes from a Germanic word akin to the source of English fresh. In the Renaissance, pittura a fresco, meaning “painting freshly,” referred to paint applied while the plaster on the wall was still wet, as opposed to pittura a secco “painting dryly,” in which paint is applied when the plaster was dry. In English, fresco appears earliest as part of the phrase in fresco; it does not appear as a noun referring to a painting until 1670. A different sense of Italian fresco, meaning “fresh air,” appears in the phrase al fresco “outdoors,” borrowed into English as alfresco and used particularly in reference to dining outdoors.
Origin and Etymology of fresco
Italian, from fresco fresh, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German frisc fresh
First Known Use: 1598
FRESCO Defined for English Language Learners
fresco
playDefinition of fresco for English Language Learners
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: the art of painting on wet plaster
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: a painting that is done on wet plaster
Learn More about fresco
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Spanish Central: Translation of fresco Nglish: Translation of fresco for Spanish speakers
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