[ grə(ʊ)'tɛsk ]
■ adjective
1》 comically or repulsively ugly or distorted.
2》 shockingly incongruous or inappropriate.
■ noun
1》 a ~ figure or image.
2》 a style of decorative painting or sculpture consisting of the interweaving of human and animal forms with flowers and foliage.
3》 Printing a family of 19th-century sans serif typefaces.
Derivatives
~ly adverb
~ness noun
Origin
C16 (asnoun): from Fr. crotesque , from Ital. grottesca , from opera or pittura grottesca 'work or painting resembling that found in a grotto'.