1910–1911
Britannica 11th
Encyclopaedia Britannica · 11th edition
ARABESQUE, a word meaning simply " Arabian," but technically used for a certain form of decorative design in flowing lines intertwined; hence comes the more metaphorical use of this word, whether in nature or in morals, indicating a fantastic or complicated interweaving of lines against a background. In decorative design the term is historically a misnomer. It is applied to the grotesque decoration derived from Roman remains of the early time of the empire, not to any style derived from Arabian or Moorish work. Ara…
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- Vol. 2, pp. 253-253