a movement in arts and crafts of the late 19th and early 20th cent., characterized by curvilinear designs styled from nature
See art nouveau in American Heritage Dictionary 4
also Art Nou·veau(ärˌ no͞o-vōˈ, ärtˌ)
noun
A style of decoration and architecture of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, characterized particularly by the depiction of leaves and flowers in flowing, sinuous lines.