Nearby Words
noun
1.
Fine Arts. a sinuous, spiraling, undulating, or serpentine line or linear motif.
2.
a pose in ballet in which the dancer stands on one leg with one arm extended in front and the other leg and arm extended behind.
3.
a short, fanciful musical piece, typically for piano.
4.
any ornament or ornamental object, as a rug or mosaic, in which flowers, foliage, fruits, vases, animals, and figures are represented in a fancifully combined pattern.
adjective
5.
decorated with or characterized by arabesques: arabesque design.
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Arabesque
is a GRE word you need to know.
So is denigrate. Does it mean:
| moved to or showing sudden, impatient irritation, especially over some trifling annoyance |
| belittle, attack maliciously |
Origin:
1605–15; < French < Italian arabesco ornament in Islamic style, literally, Arabian, equivalent to arab(o) arab + -esco -esque
1605–15; < French < Italian arabesco ornament in Islamic style, literally, Arabian, equivalent to arab(o) arab + -esco -esque
Related forms
ar·a·besque·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To arabesque
Example Sentences
- In ballet the ultimate test of line is the arabesque.
- The earthy, arabesque sounds of pop music called dangdut emptied out the people below decks.
- The arabesque in the famous balances was delicately unambiguous.
Collins
World English Dictionary
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
arabesque
1610s, "Moorish or Arabic ornamental design," from Fr. arabesque, from It. arabesco, from Arabo "Arab," with reference to Moorish architecture. As a ballet pose, first attested 1830. Musical sense, in ref. to an ornamented theme, is from 1864, originally the title given by Robert Schumann to one of his
EXPANDpiano pieces.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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