arabesque

1 of 2

noun

ar·​a·​besque ˌa-rə-ˈbesk 

ˌer-ə

1

: an ornament or style that employs flower, foliage, or fruit and sometimes animal and figural outlines to produce an intricate pattern of interlaced lines

2

: a posture (as in ballet) in which the body is bent forward from the hip on one leg with one arm extended forward and the other arm and leg backward

3

: an elaborate or intricate pattern

… richly pierced by an arabesque of wormholes.

—John Chase

an arabesque of vines and leaves

Illustration of arabesque

• arabesque 1

arabesque

2 of 2

adjective

: of, relating to, or being in the style of arabesque or an arabesque

arabesque frescoes

Examples of arabesque in a Sentence

Noun

The students practiced their arabesques.

She held her arms in arabesque.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

But the impossible arabesque pose, captured by Jean-Paul Goude, is actually a montage of images of Jones striking different poses that were cut and pasted together. —Heran Mamo, Billboard, 20 May 2024

Its status as a cultural touchstone was solidified in 2004, when New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art acquired a Circle Bag for its collection, this one with a metallic pewter finish and embossed with floral arabesques. —Alexander Lobrano Roxanne Fequiere Laura Bannister Jameson Montgomery Caitie Kelly Megan O’Sullivan, New York Times, 14 Dec. 2023

Adjective

Particularly special is the spa’s 20-meter indoor pool punctuated by eight arabesque marble columns. —Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 12 Mar. 2024

The gold is entirely carved by hand and features detailed ornamental designs of arabesque garlands and elements of the Calatrava cross, all of which take more than 100 hours to engrave. —Rebecca Suhrawardi, Robb Report, 7 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective and Noun

French, from Italian arabesco Arabian in fashion, from arabo Arab, from Latin Arabus

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1720, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

circa 1656, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

arabesque

noun

ar·​a·​besque

ˌar-ə-ˈbesk

: an ornament or style of decoration that uses outlines of flowers, leaves, branches, or fruit and sometimes animal and human figures to produce a pattern of lines that cross over one another

arabesque adjective