I. rəˈkō(ˌ)kō, rōˈk- also ˈrōkəˌkō adjective
Etymology: French, irregular from rocaille; from the prevalence of rocaille ornamentation in 18th century France
1. : outmoded , quaint , old-fashioned
2.
a. : of, relating to, or having the characteristics of a style of artistic expression prevalent especially during the 18th century chiefly in interior decoration, furniture, porcelain, and tapestry and characterized by an often fanciful and frivolous use of curved spatial forms, light and fantastic often flowing, reversed, or unsymmetrical curved lines, and ornament of pierced shellwork
the explosive energy ofthe baroque … lessens as the rococo spirit of the new century lightens the motives it has inherited, and replaces gusto with a slighter vivacity — History of World Art
— compare baroque , louis quinze
b. : of, relating to, or having the characteristics of a style of painting especially prevalent during the 18th century exemplified by Watteau and often depicting scenes from classical mythology inspired by the fêtes champêtres
c. : of, relating to, or having the characteristics of a style of literature prevalent especially in Germany in the first half of the 18th century and typified especially by lighthearted playful lyric pieces often with suggestive erotic hints
d. : of, relating to, or having the characteristics of a style of music especially of the 18th century marked by light gay ornamentation and the departure from thorough bass and polyphony
e. : excessively ornate or intricate
his bed was covered with a lavishly embroidered velvet slip, far too rococo for any interior decorator's parlor but more like evidence of an adolescent and painfully mistaken idea of what a prince might choose — Kay Boyle
the lush and heartbreakingly rococo writings of … a society reporter of long ago whose prose gyrations must be read to be believed — Stanley Walker
caught out with a rococo phrase or an overstuffed image — Los Angeles (Calif.) Times
Synonyms: see ornate
II. noun
( -s )
Etymology: French, from rococo, adjective
: rococo work or style