Etymology

chiaroscuro

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Today it means: An artistic technique developed during the Renaissance, referring to the use of strong contrasts between light and dark in order to create the illusion of volume. Full definition →

Italian chiaroscuro
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The story

  1. Italian · borrowed fromchiaroscuro
  2. English todaychiaroscuro

First attested in the mid-17th century, borrowed from Italian chiaroscuro, from chiaro (“clear, bright”) + oscuro (“dark, obscure”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.