sculpture

From Middle English sculpture, from Old French sculpture, from Latin sculptūra (“sculpture”), from sculpō (“to cut out, to carve in stone”).

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈskʌlpt͡ʃɚ/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈskʌlptj(ʊ)ə/, /ˈskʌlpt͡ʃə/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: sculp‧ture

sculpture (usually uncountable, plural sculptures)

1. (countable) A three dimensional work of art created by shaping malleable objects and letting them harden or by chipping away pieces from a rock (sculpting).
   • 1697, Virgil, “The Sixth Book of the Æneis”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:

     There, too, in living sculpture, might be seen / The mad affection of the Cretan queen.

2. Works of art created by sculpting, as a group.
3. (zoology) The three-dimensional ornamentation on the outer surface of a shell.
4. (archaic) A printed picture, such as an engraving.
   • 1669, John Nievhoff, translated by John Ogilby, An Embassy from the Eaſt-India Company of the United Provinces, to the Grand Tartar Cham Emperour of China‎^[1], London: John Macock, →OCLC, page [2]:

     Whereas upon the humble Requeſt of Our Truſty and Wel-beloved Servant, JOHN OGILBY, Eſquire, We were Graciouſly pleaſed by Our Warrant of the 25. of May, in the ſeventeenth Year of Our Reign, to grant him the ſole Privilege and Immunity of Printing in fair Volumes, Adorned with Sculptures, Virgil Tranſlated, Homer's Iliads, Æſop Paraphraſed, and Our Entertainment in Paſſing through Our City of London, and Coronation, together with Homer's Odyſſes, and his fore-mentioned Æſop with his Additions and Annotations in Folio, with a Prohibition, that none ſhould Print or Re-print the ſame in any Volumes, without the Conſent and Approbation of him, the ſaid John Ogilby, his Heirs, Executors, or Aſſigns, within the term of Fifteen Years next enſuing the Date of Our ſaid Warrant; […]

   • 1690, “Preface to the Reader”, in A Full and True Relation of the Great and Wonderful Revolution That Hapned Lately in the Kingdom of Siam in the East-Indies, London: Randal Taylor, page i:

     Both are Tranſlated into Engliſh, Illuſtrated with Sculptures, and Printed about two Years ago.

sculpture (third-person singular simple present sculptures, present participle sculpturing, simple past and past participle sculptured)

1. To fashion something into a three-dimensional figure.
2. To represent something in sculpture.
3. To change the shape of a land feature by erosion etc.

• sculpt
• sculptor
• sculptureless
• sculpturelike

• “sculpture”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “sculpture”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “sculpture”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

• IPA^(key): /skyl.tyʁ/ (p is not pronounced)

• Audio:

  (file)

• Homophone: sculptures

sculpture f (plural sculptures)

1. sculpture

• “sculpture”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

• sculpteur

sculptūre

1. vocative masculine singular of sculptūrus