rococo
English
Etymology
Pronunciation
- Rhymes: -əʊkəʊ
Noun
rococo (uncountable)
- A style of baroque architecture and decorative art, from 18th-century France, having elaborate ornamentation.
Translations
style of baroque architecture etc.
Adjective
rococo (comparative more rococo, superlative most rococo)
- Of or relating to the rococo style.
- Over-elaborate or complicated; opulent.
- Old-fashioned.
Translations
in the rococo style
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French
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8c/Ch%C3%A2teau_de_Versailles%2C_appartements_de_la_Dauphine%2C_grand_cabinet%2C_barom%C3%A8tre.jpg/220px-Ch%C3%A2teau_de_Versailles%2C_appartements_de_la_Dauphine%2C_grand_cabinet%2C_barom%C3%A8tre.jpg)
Etymology
Undoubtedly, a word from rocaille and barroco, to denote pejoratively a "rock" style, then gone out-of-fashion; invented in 1797 by Pierre-Maurice Quays, pupil of Jacques-Louis David and firebrand of an austere neoclassical style.
Pronunciation
Adjective
rococo (plural rococos)
- rococo (architectural style, all senses)
- (abstract, derogatory) Relating to old traditions, which may be seen as foolishly outdated; archaic, old-fashioned, obsolete, backwards.
Further reading
- “rococo”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.