chinoiserie Hear it!

chinoiserie definition

chi·noi·serie (s̸hēn wä zə rē′, -wä′zə rē; Fr, -wȧz rē′)

noun

  1. an ornate style of decoration of furniture, textiles, ceramics, etc., esp. in 18th-cent. Europe, based on Chinese motifs
  2. articles, designs, etc. in this style collectively

Etymology: Fr < Chinois, Chinese + -erie, -ery

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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