art deco
/ˌɑɹt ˈdɛkoʊ/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.40 in modern English
10
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
name
A style of decorative art (often used in household objects) and architecture originating in the 1920s and 1930s, characterized by bold geometric forms, strong contrasting colours, and simple composition.
Example Sentences
- "A pair of Armada flagons were bought for £1,900 and a four-piece Art Deco tea set on a matching tray was sold at £1,500."
- "These properties reflect the wide variety of resources that represent the American heritage. They include skyscrapers in Chicago and mining structures in Alaska; prehistoric petroglyphs in Nevada and World War II fortifications in Guam; a district of art deco buildings in Miami and a district of prominent artists' and writers' homes in Santa Fe."
- "Always in the same district, at 61 Olive Street, is the Oviatt Building, one of [the] most important examples of Art Deco architecture found within Los Angeles city limits, and once a prestigious clothing shop boasting such clients as Rudolph Valentino and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. […] The store was replaced by today's Rex II Restaurant, decorated as an^([sic – meaning a]) 1920s ocean liner in keeping with the overall Art Deco decor."
- "This project has stripped away modern PVCu and aluminium shop fronts to reveal original or 1930s Art Deco work, with judicious repairs and replacements as necessary, plus stonework repairs and the restoration of traditional London Transport signage."
Etymology
Borrowed from French Art déco, first used in the catalogue of an exhibition at the Musée des Arts Decoratifs in Paris, France, in 1966. Art déco is a clipping of arts décoratifs (“decorative arts”) (from the name of an exhibition called L’Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes (The International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts) held in Paris in 1925), from arts (plural of art (“art”)) + décoratifs (plural of décoratif (“decorative”)).
Origin
- Source language: French
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˌɑɹt ˈdɛkoʊ/
- British English: /ˌɑːɹt ˈdɛkəʊ/
Usage
Inflected Forms
Art Déco (alternative)