rocaille

[ roh-kahy; French raw-kah-yuh ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

Fine Arts. any of the fantastic ornamental, often asymmetrical, combinations characteristic of the Rococo period, consisting of rock, shell, and plant forms combined with artificial forms, esp C -curves.

rocaille

/ rɒˈkaɪ /

decorative rock or shell work, esp as ornamentation in a rococo fountain, grotto, or interior

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1855–60; < French: pebble-work, derivative of roc rock ¹

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from French, from roc rock ¹

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He had a most marvelous power of invention and lavished ornament on everything, carrying the rocaille style to its utmost limit.

After the death of its owner society, in a fit of madness, plunged into the rocaille.

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