fresco

noun fres·co \ ˈfre-(ˌ)skō \

|Updated on: 15 Jun 2018

Editor's Note: fresco and the Art World

Definition of fresco

plural frescoes

1 : the art of painting on freshly spread moist lime plaster with water-based pigments

2 : a painting executed in fresco

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fresco

transitive verb

See fresco defined for English-language learners

See fresco defined for kids

Recent Examples of fresco from the Web

Naturally, Charlotte Moss Entertains includes her tips for dining al fresco, warm-weather décor, and swoon-worthy summer nights.

— olivia martin, Town & Country, "Interior Designer Charlotte Moss Shares Her Secrets to Summer Entertaining," 7 June 2018
Look forward to an al fresco afternoon and evening full of Irish dance performances, best enjoyed while chowing down on the variety of available traditional Irish eats.

— grace dickinson, Philly.com, "Justin Timberlake, Philadelphia Burger Brawl, 11th Wanamaker Court Organ Day, and other events happening in Philadelphia, June 1-7," 31 May 2018
In the wintertime, cozy up at the Mandarin Oriental or The Boston Harbor Hotel, which has lovely al fresco fire pits.

— jessi walker, Marie Claire, "Weekend Travel Guide: Where to Stay, Eat and Drink in Boston," 22 May 2018
Outside, there’s ample seating to enjoy your protein al fresco.

— michele parente, sandiegouniontribune.com, "San Diego's best BBQ: Here's where to make a pit stop," 13 May 2018
For a busy mom, there’s nothing quite like taking the time for a restorative yoga session al fresco.

— sarah sekula, Fox News, "Mother's Day gifts your active, adventurous, outdoorsy mom will love," 8 May 2018
The cafe, which is now open, has two entrances, and sliding windows to give it an al fresco feel in warm weather.

— New York Times, "Recent Commercial Real Estate Transactions," 1 May 2018
For al fresco dining during the concert, select restaurants at The Street will offer grab-and-go picnic lunches.

— zipporah osei, BostonGlobe.com, "A play for veterans, a car show, and a concert picnic," 25 May 2018
The menu includes a set of barbacoa bowls, which layer rice, black beans, salsa verde, pico de gallo, sour cream, guacamole, queso fresco and cilantro with a choice of four proteins.

— lauren delgado, OrlandoSentinel.com, "4 Rivers Smokehouse serving up summer fun - including new dishes," 24 May 2018

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.

fresco and the Art World

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.