fresco

fre·sco
F4R1E1S1C3O1
US/ˈfɹɛskoʊ/UK/ˈfɹɛskəʊ/

noun

A cool, refreshing state of the air; coolness, duskiness, shade.

OriginItalian fresco ← Vulgar Latin *friscum ← Proto-Germanic *friskaz →
Less commonScrabble 11
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Word of the Day · Nov 1, 2025

Meanings

nounfresco (countable and uncountable, plural frescos or frescoes or (rare, Italianate) freschi)

plural frescos · plural frescoes · error unknown tag plural rare freschi

  1. countableA cool, refreshing state of the air; coolness, duskiness, shade.

    […] I [Satan] cannot ſtay Flaring in ſun-ſhine all the day: For, entre nous, we helliſh ſprites, Love more the freſco of the nights; […]

    a. 1722 (date written), Matthew Prior, “Hans Carvel”, in The Poetical Works of Matthew Prior […], volume I, London: […] W[illiam] Strahan, […], published 1779, →OCLC, page 124
  2. countablepaintingAn artwork made by applying water-based pigment to wet or fresh lime mortar or plaster.
  3. uncountablepaintingThe technique used to make such an artwork.
verbfresco (third-person singular simple present frescoes, present participle frescoing, simple past and past participle frescoed)

present singular third person frescoes · participle present frescoing · participle past frescoed · past frescoed

  1. ambitransitiveTo paint using fresco.

Origin

  1. Proto-Germanic*friskaz
  2. Vulgar Latin*friscum
  3. Italianfresco
  4. Englishfresco

From Italian fresco, from Vulgar Latin *friscum, from Proto-Germanic *friskaz. Doublet of fresh and frisk.

More words from Italian, Vulgar Latin, Proto-Germanic

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Afrikaans muurskildery, fresko
  • muurskilderyartwork made by applying water-based pigment to wet or fresh lime mortar or plaster
  • freskoartwork made by applying water-based pigment to wet or fresh lime mortar or plaster
Bulgarian фреска, фреско
  • фреска (freska)artwork made by applying water-based pigment to wet or fresh lime mortar or plaster
  • фреско (fresko)technique used to make such an artwork
Catalan fresc, fresc
  • frescartwork made by applying water-based pigment to wet or fresh lime mortar or plaster
  • fresctechnique used to make such an artwork
Chinese Mandarin 濕壁畫 /湿壁画
  • 濕壁畫 /湿壁画 (shībìhuà)artwork made by applying water-based pigment to wet or fresh lime mortar or plaster
Czech freska
  • freskaartwork made by applying water-based pigment to wet or fresh lime mortar or plaster
Danish freske, fresko
  • freskeartwork made by applying water-based pigment to wet or fresh lime mortar or plaster
  • freskoartwork made by applying water-based pigment to wet or fresh lime mortar or plaster
  • freskomaleriartwork made by applying water-based pigment to wet or fresh lime mortar or plaster
Dutch fresco, fresco
  • frescoartwork made by applying water-based pigment to wet or fresh lime mortar or plaster
  • frescotechnique used to make such an artwork
Esperanto fresko
  • freskoartwork made by applying water-based pigment to wet or fresh lime mortar or plaster
Finnish fresko, fresko
  • freskoartwork made by applying water-based pigment to wet or fresh lime mortar or plaster
  • freskotechnique used to make such an artwork
French fresque, fresque
  • fresqueartwork made by applying water-based pigment to wet or fresh lime mortar or plaster
  • fresquetechnique used to make such an artwork
German Fresko, Freske
  • Freskoartwork made by applying water-based pigment to wet or fresh lime mortar or plaster
  • Freskeartwork made by applying water-based pigment to wet or fresh lime mortar or plaster
  • Freskomalereitechnique used to make such an artwork
Greek νωπογραφία, νωπογραφία
  • νωπογραφία (nopografía)artwork made by applying water-based pigment to wet or fresh lime mortar or plaster
  • νωπογραφία (nopografía)technique used to make such an artwork
Hungarian freskó, freskó
  • freskóartwork made by applying water-based pigment to wet or fresh lime mortar or plaster
  • freskótechnique used to make such an artwork
Italian affresco, affresco
  • affrescoartwork made by applying water-based pigment to wet or fresh lime mortar or plaster
  • affrescotechnique used to make such an artwork
  • affrescareto paint using fresco
Japanese フレスコ
  • フレスコ (furesuko)artwork made by applying water-based pigment to wet or fresh lime mortar or plaster
Korean 프레스코
  • 프레스코 (peureseuko)artwork made by applying water-based pigment to wet or fresh lime mortar or plaster
Latvian freska
  • freskaartwork made by applying water-based pigment to wet or fresh lime mortar or plaster
Malay fresko
  • freskotechnique used to make such an artwork
Norwegian Bokmål fresko
  • freskoartwork made by applying water-based pigment to wet or fresh lime mortar or plaster
Polish fresk, al fresco
  • freskartwork made by applying water-based pigment to wet or fresh lime mortar or plaster
  • al frescoartwork made by applying water-based pigment to wet or fresh lime mortar or plaster
  • fresktechnique used to make such an artwork
  • al frescotechnique used to make such an artwork
Portuguese afresco, afresco
  • afrescoartwork made by applying water-based pigment to wet or fresh lime mortar or plaster
  • afrescotechnique used to make such an artwork
Romanian frescă, frescă
  • frescăartwork made by applying water-based pigment to wet or fresh lime mortar or plaster
  • frescătechnique used to make such an artwork
Russian фре́ска, фре́ска
  • фре́ска (fréska)artwork made by applying water-based pigment to wet or fresh lime mortar or plaster
  • фре́ска (fréska)technique used to make such an artwork
Slovak fresko
  • freskoartwork made by applying water-based pigment to wet or fresh lime mortar or plaster
Spanish fresco, pintura al fresco
  • frescoartwork made by applying water-based pigment to wet or fresh lime mortar or plaster
  • pintura al frescoartwork made by applying water-based pigment to wet or fresh lime mortar or plaster
  • frescotechnique used to make such an artwork
  • pintura al frescotechnique used to make such an artwork
Swedish fresk, freskomålning
  • freskartwork made by applying water-based pigment to wet or fresh lime mortar or plaster
  • freskomålningartwork made by applying water-based pigment to wet or fresh lime mortar or plaster
Turkish fresk
  • freskartwork made by applying water-based pigment to wet or fresh lime mortar or plaster

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

forces
Cite this entry
APA

fresco. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fresco

MLA

“fresco.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fresco. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “fresco,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fresco.

Source: fresco on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.