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grotesque

gro·tesque [ grō tésk ]


adjective 
Definition:
 
1. distorted: misshapen, especially in a strange or disturbing way
grotesque shadows

2. incongruous: seeming strange or ludicrous through being out of place or unexpected

3. arts blending realistic and fantastic: relating to or typical of a style of art that mixes the realistic and the fantastic



noun  (plural gro·tesques)
Definition:
 
1. something grotesque: somebody or something considered to be grotesque

2. arts art blending realistic and fantastic: a style of art, especially in 16th-century Europe, in which representations of real and fantastic figures are mixed

3. arts grotesque artistic piece: a piece of art in the grotesque style

[Mid-16th century. Via French< Italian grottesca "like a grotto" < grotta (see grotto), from fanciful wall paintings found in excavated Roman ruins]

gro·tesque·ly adverb
gro·tesque·ness noun
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