Etymology

art deco

Art De·co

Today it means: A style of decorative art (often used in household objects) and architecture originating in the 1920s and 1930s, characterized by bold geometric forms, strong contrasting colours, and simple composition. Full definition →

French Art déco
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The story

  1. French · borrowed fromArt déco
  2. English todayArt Deco

Borrowed from French Art déco, first used in the catalogue of an exhibition at the Musée des Arts Decoratifs in Paris, France, in 1966. Art déco is a clipping of arts décoratifs (“decorative arts”) (from the name of an exhibition called L’Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes (The International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts) held in Paris in 1925), from arts (plural of art (“art”)) + décoratifs (plural of décoratif (“decorative”)).

First known use, by meaning

  • from 1966 A style of decorative art (often used in household objects) and architecture originating in the 1920s and 1930s, characterized by bold geometric forms, strong contrasting colours, and simple composition.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.