sculpture

[ skuhlp-cher ]
See synonyms for: sculpturesculptured on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. the art of carving, modeling, welding, or otherwise producing figurative or abstract works of art in three dimensions, as in relief, intaglio, or in the round.

  2. such works of art collectively.

  1. an individual piece of such work.

verb (used with object),sculp·tured, sculp·tur·ing.
  1. to carve, model, weld, or otherwise produce (a piece of sculpture).

  2. to produce a portrait or image of in this way; represent in sculpture.

  1. Physical Geography. to change the form of (the land surface) by erosion.

verb (used without object),sculp·tured, sculp·tur·ing.
  1. to work as a sculptor.

Origin of sculpture

1
1350–1400; Middle English (noun) <Latin sculptūra, equivalent to sculpt(us) (past participle of sculpere to carve) + -ūra-ure

Other words from sculpture

  • sculp·tur·al, adjective
  • sculp·tur·al·ly, adverb
  • non·sculp·tur·al, adjective
  • non·sculp·tur·al·ly, adverb
  • re·sculp·ture, verb (used with object) re·sculp·tured, re·sculp·tur·ing.
  • un·sculp·tur·al, adjective

Words that may be confused with sculpture

Words Nearby sculpture

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use sculpture in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for sculpture

sculpture

/ (ˈskʌlptʃə) /


noun
  1. the art of making figures or designs in relief or the round by carving wood, moulding plaster, etc, or casting metals, etc

  2. works or a work made in this way

  1. ridges or indentations as on a shell, formed by natural processes

  2. the gradual formation of the landscape by erosion

verb(mainly tr)
  1. (also intr) to carve, cast, or fashion (stone, bronze, etc) three dimensionally

  2. to portray (a person, etc) by means of sculpture

  1. to form in the manner of sculpture, esp to shape (landscape) by erosion

  2. to decorate with sculpture

Origin of sculpture

1
C14: from Latin sculptūra a carving; see sculpt
  • Also (for senses 5–8): sculpt

Derived forms of sculpture

  • sculptural, adjective
  • sculpturally, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012