I. ˈtaˌblō, ̷ ̷ˈ ̷ ̷ noun
( plural tab·leaux -ō(z) ; also tableaus -ōz)
Etymology: French, from Middle French tablel, diminutive of table
1.
a. : a graphic description or visualization : image , picture
a popular writer … presenting winsome tableaux of old-fashioned literary days and ways — J.D.Hart
thirteen tableaux … using one permanent frame — Spectator
b. : a striking effect or artistic grouping : arrangement , scene
the whole house party grouped in a welcoming tableau — Osbert Lancaster
a series of window tableaux planned and executed by … interior designers — Antiques
c. or tableau vi·vant -vēˈväⁿ plural tableaux vivants “
[French, literally, living picture]
: a sustained pose : a static depiction usually presented on a stage with participants in appropriate costume
a series of tableaux called “Grecian Statutes”, accompanied by explanatory song — American Guide Series: Washington
stood with outstretched hand … in what seemed an endlessly-held tableau — Hartley Howard
2.
a. archaic : an official list : table
official tableaux of rank — Harper's
b. : a large alphabet square in cryptography
3. : the part of a solitaire layout on which building is usually done
II.
variant of tab