I. bəˈrōk, ba-; baˈräk, bə-; also baˈrȯk or bə- sometimes ˈbaˌr- adjective
Etymology: French, from Portuguese barrôco irregularly shaped pearl
of a pearl : irregular in form
II. noun
( -s )
Etymology: French
: a baroque pearl
III. adjective
Etymology: French, from Italian barocco, perhaps after Federigo Barocci or Baroccio died 1612 Italian painter
1. also ba·roc·co bəˈrä(ˌ)kō, -rȯ- : of, relating to, or having the characteristics of a style of artistic expression prevalent especially in the 17th century: as
a.
(1) : of, relating to, or being a style of art and architecture prevalent from the latter part of the 16th century to the latter part of the 18th century, marked by dynamic opposition and energy, by the use of curved and plastic figures, and especially in its later phases by elaborate and sometimes grotesque ornamentation, and represented typically by the sculpture of Bernini and the painting of Rubens
(2) : rococo
many writers draw no distinction between the words rococo and baroque , which are far from synonymous — M.S.Briggs
b.
(1) : of, relating to, or being a style of musical composition prevalent from about 1600 to 1750, marked by elaborate ornamentation and improvisation, the use of contrasting effects, and the creation of powerful tensions and climaxes, and culminating in the work of J.S.Bach and Handel
(2) of an organ : built according to the specifications of the time of J.S.Bach
c. : of, relating to, or being a style of literary composition prevalent from the late 16th century to the early 18th century and marked typically by complexity and elaborateness of form and by the use of bizarre, calculatedly ingenious, and sometimes intentionally ambiguous imagery — compare euphuism , gongorism
2. : characterized by grotesqueness, extravagance, or flamboyance
a truly baroque act of sabotage — G.N.Shuster
Synonyms: see ornate
IV. noun
( -s )
: baroque work or style