Definition of baroque

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ba·roque    (b-rk) KEY  

ADJECTIVE:

1. also Baroque Of, relating to, or characteristic of a style in art and architecture developed in Europe from the early 17th to mid-18th century, emphasizing dramatic, often strained effect and typified by bold, curving forms, elaborate ornamentation, and overall balance of disparate parts.
2. also Baroque Music Of, relating to, or characteristic of a style of composition that flourished in Europe from about 1600 to 1750, marked by expressive dissonance and elaborate ornamentation.
3. Extravagant, complex, or bizarre, especially in ornamentation: "the baroque, encoded language of post-structural legal and literary theory" (Wendy Kaminer).
4. Irregular in shape: baroque pearls.

NOUN:
also Baroque

The baroque style or period in art, architecture, or music.

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ETYMOLOGY:
French, from Italian barocco, imperfect pearl, and from Portuguese barroco

OTHER FORMS:
ba·roquely (Adverb), ba·roqueness (Noun)

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