Added 9 October 2026
baroque
/bæˈɹɒk/ noun
Latin root: verrūca Wiktionary
noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about baroque at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- The historic period from about 1600 until 1750 when the baroque style of art, architecture, and music flourished in Europe.
- Elaborate and extensive ornamentation in decorative art and architecture that flourished in Europe in the 17th century.
adjective
-
Having elaborate symmetrical ornamentation.
the building...frantically baroque
- Of or relating to or characteristic of the elaborately ornamented style of architecture, art, and music popular in Europe between 1600 and 1750.
Origin
Via French baroque (which originally meant a pearl of irregular shape), from Portuguese barroco (“irregular pearl”); related to Spanish barrueco and Italian barocco, of uncertain ultimate origin, but possibly from Latin verrūca (“wart”). It has been suggested that the term derives from Baroco, a technical term from scholastic logic.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)