An ornate design featuring intricate, flowing patterns often with intertwining lines, curves, and floral or geometric motifs.
From French 'arabesque,' from Italian 'arabesco,' meaning 'in the Arab manner.' The root is 'Arab' (from Arabic 'al-'Arab'), with '-esque' meaning 'in the style of.' The term emerged during the Renaissance when Europeans rediscovered Islamic geometric art.
Ironically, true Islamic art avoids human figures for religious reasons, focusing on pure geometric and floral patterns—exactly what Europeans called 'arabesques.' So the word actually misnames the very art it describes, showing how cultural understanding works through imaginative projection.
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