A preliminary sketch or rough outline of a work of art, music, or literature; a first draft or study before the final work.
From French esquisse, from Italian schizzo, possibly derived from schizzare (to splash or sketch). The term entered English through art and music vocabulary.
Artists call their rough sketches 'esquisses'—it's the same word jazz musicians use for sketching out melodies, showing how all creative fields need a messy middle before the masterpiece!
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