Did you know?
Maquette came to English directly from French, first appearing in our language in the late 19th century. The French word, which possesses the same meaning as its English descendant, derived from the Italian noun macchietta, meaning "sketch," and ultimately from Latin macula, meaning "spot." Maquettes are generally intended to serve as rough models of larger designs. Architects make maquettes of their buildings, and sculptors often create maquettes in wax or clay to help them realize the final sculpture. As an aside, you might spot something familiar in the word's Latin ancestor. The term "macula" in English refers to a spot (such as one on the eye) that is different from surrounding tissue; this is where we get the term "macular degeneration."
Examples of maquette in a Sentence
Ellen Wexler, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Oct. 2024
The exhibition retraces her more than 60-year career through drawings and designs, prototypes and sketches, maquettes and photographs.
—Andrea Onate, WWD, 26 Sep. 2024
The filmmakers create maquettes for each character, at different ages.
—Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 31 Aug. 2024
Nearby, something that looks like a maquette of a Richard Serra sculpture is a gun-discharge station, a rusty cannister once used by G.I.s to insure that their guns were bullet-free before bringing them indoors.
—Patricia Marx, The New Yorker, 26 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for maquette 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'maquette.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near maquette
Cite this Entry
“Maquette.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/maquette. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.
Copy Citation
Share