[chiar.oscu.ro] n, pl -ros [It, fr. chiaro clear, light + oscuro obscure, dark] (1686) 1: pictorial representation in terms of light and shade without regard to color
2. a: the arrangement or treatment of light and dark parts in a pictorial work of art b: the interplay or contrast of dissimilar qualities (as of mood or character)
3: a 16th century woodcut technique involving the use of several blocks to print different tones of the same color; also: a print made by this technique
4: the interplay of light and shadow on or as if on a surface
5: the quality of being veiled or partly in shadow