fres·co

[fres-koh] noun, plural fres·coes, fres·cos, verb, fres·coed, fres·co·ing.
noun
1.
Also called buon fresco, true fresco. the art or technique of painting on a moist, plaster surface with colors ground up in water or a limewater mixture. Compare fresco secco.
2.
a picture or design so painted.
verb (used with object)
3.
to paint in fresco.

Origin:
1590–1600; < Italian: cool, fresh (< Gmc)

fres·co·er, fres·co·ist, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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World English Dictionary
fresco (ˈfrɛskəʊ) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n , pl -coes, -cos
1.  a very durable method of wall-painting using watercolours on wet plaster or, less properly, dry plaster (fresco secco), with a less durable result
2.  a painting done in this way
 
[C16: from Italian: fresh plaster, coolness, from fresco (adj) fresh, cool, of Germanic origin]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
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00:10
Frescoes is always a great word to know.
So is bezoar. Does it mean:
a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.
a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

fresco
1598, in fresco, lit. "in fresh," with a sense of "painted on fresh mortar or plaster," from It. fresco "cool, fresh," from P.Gmc. *friskaz (see fresh).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary

fresco definition


A painting on wet plaster. When the plaster dries, the painting is bonded to the wall. Fresco was a popular method for painting large murals during the Renaissance. The Last Supper, by Leonardo da Vinci, is a fresco, as are the paintings by Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Example sentences
You'll find an extensive collection of modern art along with priceless
  frescoes, antiques, brocades and silks.
With the success of the pilot, the project is being continued to uncover the
  rest of the frescoes on all of the walls.
Among the gems here are medieval manuscripts and stunning frescoes.
They are portable, for one thing, as frescoes and wall paintings on a similar
  scale are not.
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