sfüˈmä(ˌ)tō noun
( -s )
Etymology: Italian, from sfumato, past participle of sfumare to evaporate, shade off into another color, from s- (from Latin ex- ) + fumare to smoke, from Latin — more at fume
: the definition of form without abrupt outline by delicate gradation from light to shadow producing an atmospheric effect (as in the painting of Leonardo da Vinci) — compare chiaroscuro