Art Dictionary - C
These are words taken from the ArtLex Art Dictionary at http://www.artlex.com/. The links will take you to the art dictionary, where you will find a definition and examples. The pages are divided into sections of the alphabet. There are pages for C-Cap, Car-Caz, Cb-Cg, Ch, Ci-Cn, Co-Com, Con, Coo-Coz, and Cp-Cz. Some of the links go to the exact page. Other links take you to a general page. Click the link and scroll down to the word listed.
116 words
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Full list of words from this list:
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cadmium
a soft bluish-white ductile malleable toxic bivalent metallic element; occurs in association with zinc ores
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caduceus
an insignia used by the medical profession
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cairn
a mound of stones piled up as a memorial or to mark a boundary or path
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caliper
an instrument for measuring the distance between two points
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calligraphy
beautiful handwriting
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cameo
engraving or carving in low relief on a stone
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camera
equipment for taking photographs
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camera lucida
an optical device consisting of an attachment that enables an observer to view simultaneously the image and a drawing surface for sketching it
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camera obscura
a darkened enclosure in which images of outside objects are projected through a small aperture or lens onto a facing surface
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camouflage
an outward semblance misrepresenting the nature of something
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campanile
a bell tower; usually stands alone unattached to a building
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candelabrum
branched candlestick; ornamental; has several lights
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cane
a strong slender often flexible stem as of bamboos, reeds, rattans, or sugar cane
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canopic jar
a jar used in ancient Egypt to contain entrails of an embalmed body
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canvas
a heavy, closely woven fabric
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capital
a large alphabetic character used in writing or printing
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capital letter
one of the large alphabetic characters used as the first letter in writing or printing proper names and sometimes for emphasis
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caption
brief description accompanying an illustration
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carat
a unit of measurement for the proportion of gold in an alloy
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cardboard
a stiff moderately thick paper
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caricature
a representation of a person exaggerated for comic effect
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cartoon
a humorous or satirical drawing in a newspaper or magazine
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cartouche
a cartridge (usually with paper casing)
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caryatid
a supporting column carved in the shape of a person
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celluloid
flammable substance used in motion-picture and X-ray film
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cement
a building material that is a powder made of a mixture of calcined limestone and clay; used with water and sand or gravel to make concrete and mortar
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censorship
deleting parts of publications or theatrical performances
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ceramics
the art of making and decorating pottery
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chalice
a bowl-shaped drinking vessel
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chalk
a soft whitish calcite
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change
become different in some particular way
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chapel
a place of worship that has its own altar
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charcoal
a carbonaceous material obtained by heating wood or other organic matter in the absence of air
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chess
a board game for two players who move their 16 pieces according to specific rules; the object is to checkmate the opponent's king
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chevron
a V-shaped figure or design
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chiaroscuro
the arrangement or interplay of light and dark in an artwork
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chinoiserie
a style in art reflecting Chinese influence
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chisel
an edge tool with a flat steel blade with a cutting edge
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chiton
a woolen tunic worn by men and women in ancient Greece
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chop
cut with a hacking tool
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chrome
another word for chromium when used in dyes or pigments
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chromolithography
single- or multi-color lithography
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cinema
a medium that disseminates moving pictures
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cinematography
the art of filming a movie
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cinnabar
a heavy reddish mineral consisting of mercuric sulfide
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circle
a plane curve with every point equidistant from the center
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circular saw
a power saw that has a steel disk with cutting teeth on the periphery; rotates on a spindle
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circumference
the length of the closed curve of a circle
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claw hammer
a hammer with a cleft at one end for pulling nails
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cleaning
the act of making something clean
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clerestory
part of an interior wall rising above the adjacent roof with windows admitting light
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clip art
ready-made pieces of computerized graphic art that can be used to decorate a document
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cloisonne
enamelware in which colored areas are separated by thin metal strips
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closeup
a photograph or video that is zoomed in on its subject
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closure
termination of operations
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clove hitch
a knot used to fasten a line temporarily to a post or spar
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coat of arms
the official symbols of a family, state, etc.
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cobalt
a hard ferromagnetic silver-white bivalent or trivalent metallic element; a trace element in plant and animal nutrition
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codex
a written manuscript, typically from ancient times
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coffer
the funds of a government, institution, or individual
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coil
a round shape formed by a series of connected loops
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collaboration
act of working jointly
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collage
a paste-up of pieces to form an artistic image
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collectible
things considered to be worth keeping
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collection
the act of gathering something together
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collotype
a photomechanical printing process that uses a glass plate with a gelatin surface that carries the image to be reproduced; can be used with one or more colors
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colophon
a publisher's emblem printed in a book
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color
a visual attribute of things from the light they emit
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color wheel
a chart in which complementary colors (or their names) are arranged on opposite sides of a circle
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color-blind
unable to distinguish one or more chromatic colors
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colossus
someone or something that is abnormally large and powerful
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column
a line of units following one after another
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combine
put or add together
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compare
examine and note the similarities or differences of
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compass
navigational instrument for finding directions
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composition
the way in which someone or something is put together
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concave
curving inward
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concentric
having a common center
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concrete
capable of being perceived by the senses
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cone
a shape with a circular base and sides tapering to a point
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connoisseur
an expert able to appreciate a field
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construction
the act of building something
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constructivism
an abstractionist artistic movement in Russia after World War I; industrial materials were used to construct nonrepresentational objects
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contour
a line drawn on a map connecting points of equal height
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contour line
a line drawn on a map connecting points of equal height
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convex
curving or bulging outward
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copper
a ductile malleable reddish-brown corrosion-resistant diamagnetic metallic element; occurs in various minerals but is the only metal that occurs abundantly in large masses; used as an electrical and thermal conductor
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copyright
the exclusive right to sell a work
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Corinthian
a resident of Corinth
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corrugated cardboard
cardboard with corrugations
- cosmetics
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costume
attire characteristic of a country, time, or social class
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counterfeit
not genuine; imitating something superior
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countersink
insert
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crackle
make a crackling sound
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craft
the skilled practice of a practical occupation
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craftsmanship
skill in an occupation, trade, or manual art
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crayon
writing implement consisting of a colored stick of composition wax used for writing and drawing
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creativity
the ability to bring something into existence
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crenelation
a notched rampart around the top of a castle or city wall
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crepuscular
like or relating to twilight; dim
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crop
a cultivated plant that is grown commercially
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cross-section
representing a plane made by cutting across something at right angles to its length
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crossing
a point where two lines (paths or arcs etc.) intersect
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crown
an ornamental jeweled headdress signifying sovereignty
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crucifix
representation of the cross on which Jesus died
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crypt
a cellar or vault or underground burial chamber
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cryptogram
a piece of writing in code or cipher
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cube
a three-dimensional figure with six equal squares as faces
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cubism
an artistic movement featuring surfaces of geometric planes
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culture
all the knowledge and values shared by a society
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cuneiform
an ancient wedge-shaped script used in Mesopotamia
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curve
the trace of a point whose direction of motion changes
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curvilinear
characterized by or following a curved line
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cyan
a primary subtractive color for light
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cylinder
a surface generated by rotating a line around a fixed line
Created on Wed Nov 19 18:35:39 EST 2008
(updated Wed Nov 19 19:08:56 EST 2008)
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