Etymology

alla prima

Today it means: Without any preparatory layer of colour; with no underpainting. Full definition →

First used 19th c.Italian alla
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The story

  1. Italian · derived fromalla
  2. English todayalla prima

From Italian alla prima (“at first”).

First known use, by meaning

  • from 19th c. Without any preparatory layer of colour; with no underpainting.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.