sculpture

English

Etymology

From Middle English sculpture, from Old French sculpture, from Latin sculptūra (“sculpture”), from sculpō (“to cut out, to carve in stone”).

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈskʌlpt͡ʃɚ/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈskʌlptj(ʊ)ə/, /ˈskʌlpt͡ʃə/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Hyphenation: sculp‧ture

Noun

sculpture (usually uncountable, plural sculptures)

1. (countable) A three dimensional work of art created by shaping malleable objects and letting them harden or by chipping away pieces from a rock (sculpting).
   • 1697, Virgil, “The Sixth Book of the Æneis”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:

     There, too, in living sculpture, might be seen / The mad affection of the Cretan queen.

2. Works of art created by sculpting, as a group.
3. (zoology) The three-dimensional ornamentation on the outer surface of a shell.
4. (archaic) A printed picture, such as an engraving.
   • 1690, “Preface to the Reader”, in A Full and True Relation of the Great and Wonderful Revolution That Hapned Lately in the Kingdom of Siam in the East-Indies, London: Randal Taylor, page i:

     Both are Tranſlated into Engliſh, Illuſtrated with Sculptures, and Printed about two Years ago.

Derived terms

• anonymous sculpture
• ice sculpture
• kinetic sculpture
• living sculpture

 

Translations

art of sculpting

• Albanian: gdhend (sq)
• Arabic: نَحْت (ar) m (naḥt)
• Armenian: քանդակագործություն (hy) (kʻandakagorcutʻyun)
• Azerbaijani: heykəltəraşlıq (az)
• Belarusian: скульпту́ра f (skulʹptúra), разбя́рства n (razbjárstva)
• Bengali: ভাস্কর্য (bn) (bhaskorjo)
• Bulgarian: скулпту́ра (bg) f (skulptúra)
• Burmese: ပန်းပု (my) (pan:pu.)
• Catalan: escultura (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 雕塑 (zh) (diāosù)

• Czech: sochařství (cs) n
• Danish: skulptur (da) c
• Dutch: beeldhouwen (nl), sculptuur (nl) f
• Esperanto: skulptarto
• Estonian: skulptuur
• Finnish: kuvanveisto (fi)
• French: sculpture (fr) f
• Galician: escultura (gl) f
• German: Bildhauerkunst (de) f, Skulptur (de) f
• Greek: γλυπτική (el) f (glyptikí)

  Ancient: γλυπτική f (gluptikḗ)

• Hindi: शिल्पकला (hi) (śilpaklā)
• Hungarian: szobrászat (hu)
• Icelandic: höggmyndalist
• Ido: skulto (io)
• Indonesian: seni pahat (id)
• Irish: dealbhóireacht f
• Italian: scultura (it)
• Japanese: 彫刻 (ja) (ちょうこく, chōkoku)
• Kazakh: мүсін (müsın), мүсіндеме (müsındeme)
• Khmer: ចំឡាក់ (km) (cɑmlak)
• Korean: 조각(彫刻) (ko) (jogak)
• Lao: ປະຕິມາກຳ (pa ti mā kam)
• Latin: sculptura
• Latvian: tēlniecība f
• Lithuanian: skulptūra f
• Macedonian: вајарство n (vajarstvo), скулпту́ра f (skulptúra)
• Maori: tāraitanga
• Middle English: ymagerie
• Norman: stchulptuthe f
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: skulptur m

  Nynorsk: skulptur m

• Polish: rzeźbiarstwo (pl) n
• Portuguese: escultura (pt)
• Romanian: sculptură (ro) f
• Russian: вая́ние (ru) n (vajánije), скульпту́ра (ru) f (skulʹptúra), ле́пка (ru) f (lépka)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: вајарство n

  Roman: vajarstvo (sh) n

• Slovak: sochárstvo n
• Slovene: kiparstvo (sl) n
• Spanish: escultura (es) f
• Swedish: skulpturkonst (sv) c, bildhuggarkonst (sv) c, bildhuggeri (sv) n, bildformning c, plastik (sv) c
• Tajik: ҳайкалтарошӣ (haykaltarošī)
• Telugu: శిల్పకళ (te) (śilpakaḷa)
• Thai: ปฏิมากรรม, ประติมากรรม (th) (bprà-dtì-maa-gam)
• Turkish: heykelcilik (tr), heykeltıraşlık (tr), yontuculuk (tr)
• Ukrainian: скульпту́ра f (skulʹptúra), лі́пка f (lípka), рі́зьблення n (rízʹblennja), різьбя́рство n (rizʹbjárstvo), різьба́рство n (rizʹbárstvo)
• Uzbek: haykaltaroshlik (uz)
• Vietnamese: điêu khắc (vi)
• Walloon: sculteure (wa) f, scultreye (wa)

work of art created by sculpting

• Albanian: skulpturë (sq) f
• Arabic: تِمْثَال m (timṯāl), مَنْحُوتَة f (manḥūta), مُجَسَّم (mujassam)
• Armenian: արձան (hy) (arjan), քանդակ (hy) (kʻandak)
• Azerbaijani: heykəl (az)
• Belarusian: скульпту́ра f (skulʹptúra)
• Bengali: মূর্তি (bn) (murti), ভাস্কর্য (bn) (bhaskorjo)
• Bulgarian: скулпту́ра (bg) f (skulptúra), ста́туя (bg) f (státuja) (statue)
• Burmese: ရုပ်တု (my) (ruptu.)
• Catalan: escultura (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 雕塑 (zh) (diāosù), 雕像 (zh) (diāoxiàng)

• Czech: socha (cs) f
• Danish: skulptur (da) c
• Dutch: beeldhouwwerk (nl) n, beeld (nl) n
• Esperanto: skulptaĵo
• Estonian: skulptuur
• Finnish: veistos (fi)
• French: sculpture (fr) f
• Galician: escultura (gl) f
• Georgian: ქანდაკება (kandaḳeba)
• German: Skulptur (de) f
• Greek: γλυπτό (el) n (glyptó)

  Ancient: γλυπτόν n (gluptón)

• Hebrew: פֶּסֶל (he) m (pésel)
• Hindi: शिल्पकला (hi) (śilpaklā), प्रतिमा (hi) f (pratimā)
• Hungarian: szobor (hu)
• Icelandic: skúlptúr, höggmynd
• Ido: skulturo (io)
• Indonesian: pahatan (id)
• Irish: dealbh (ga) f
• Italian: scultura (it) f
• Japanese: 彫刻 (ja) (ちょうこく, chōkoku)
• Kannada: ಶಿಲ್ಪ (kn) (śilpa)
• Kazakh: мүсін (müsın)
• Khmer: ចំឡាក់ (km) (cɑmlak), រូបឆ្លាក់ (ruup chlak)
• Korean: 조각(彫刻) (ko) (jogak)
• Kyrgyz: скульптура (ky) (skulptura)
• Lao: ຮູບປັ້ນ (hūp pan)
• Latin: opera sculpturae f, sculptura f
• Latvian: skulptūra f
• Lithuanian: skulptūra f
• Macedonian: скулпту́ра f (skulptúra)
• Maori: tāraitanga, whakaironga
• Middle English: ymagerie
• Norman: stchulptuthe f
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: skulptur m

  Nynorsk: skulptur m

• Persian: مجسمه (fa) (mojassame)
• Polish: rzeźba (pl) f
• Portuguese: escultura (pt) f
• Romanian: sculptură (ro) f
• Russian: скульпту́ра (ru) f (skulʹptúra), извая́ние (ru) n (izvajánije), ста́туя (ru) f (státuja) (statue)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: ки̑п m, скулпту́ра f

  Roman: kȋp (sh) m, skulptúra (sh) f

• Slovak: socha f
• Slovene: skulptura f
• Spanish: escultura (es) f
• Swahili: kinyago
• Swedish: skulptur (sv)
• Tajik: скулптура (skulptura), муҷассама (mujassama), ҳайкал (tg) (haykal)
• Telugu: శిల్పం (te) (śilpaṁ)
• Thai: รูปปั้น (rûup-bpân)
• Turkish: heykel (tr), yontu (tr)
• Turkmen: heýkel, skulptura
• Ukrainian: скульпту́ра f (skulʹptúra)
• Uzbek: haiʻkal, skulptura, haykal (uz)
• Vietnamese: tượng (vi)
• Walloon: sculteure (wa) f, scultreye (wa) f

Verb

sculpture (third-person singular simple present sculptures, present participle sculpturing, simple past and past participle sculptured)

1. To fashion something into a three-dimensional figure.
2. To represent something in sculpture.
3. To change the shape of a land feature by erosion etc.

Translations

to fashion into 3D figure

• Bulgarian: вая (bg) (vaja)
• Finnish: veistää (fi), muovata (fi)
• Galician: esculpir (gl)
• Ido: skultar (io)
• Irish: dealbhaigh
• Macedonian: ваја (vaja)
• Spanish: esculpir (es)

to represent in sculpture

• Bulgarian: извайвам (bg) (izvajvam)
• Finnish: esittää (fi)
• Galician: esculpir (gl)
• Macedonian: и́зваја (ízvaja)
• Romanian: sculpta (ro)
• Spanish: esculpir (es)

to shape a land feature

• Finnish: muovata (fi)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Romanian: ^{(please verify)} a sculpta (ro)

Related terms

• sculpt
• sculptor
• sculptureless
• sculpturelike

Further reading

• “sculpture”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “sculpture”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “sculpture”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /skyl.tyʁ/ (p is not pronounced)

• Audio

  (file)

• Homophone: sculptures

Noun

sculpture f (plural sculptures)

1. sculpture

Further reading

• “sculpture”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Anagrams

• sculpteur

Latin

Participle

sculptūre

1. vocative masculine singular of sculptūrus