noun
fresco
FREHS-koh
noun
1
A painting made by applying pigment onto wet plaster, so the colour becomes part of the wall as it dries.
"Michelangelo painted the famous frescoes on the Sistine Chapel ceiling."
"Tourists lined up to see the medieval frescoes in the old cathedral."
How to Use Fresco
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA wall or ceiling painting made on wet plaster.
Common pairings
paint a fresco
ceiling fresco
Word Forms
frescoed past tense, frescos plural, frescoes plural, freschi plural, frescoes singular
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Michelangelo painted the famous _____ on the Sistine Chapel ceiling.
Etymology
From Italian fresco, meaning "fresh," referring to painting onto freshly laid, still-damp plaster. It shares its ultimate root with the English words "fresh" and "frisk."