A painting medium using pigments suspended in water, or artwork created with this medium. Paint that uses water as a solvent rather than oil.
From 'water' plus 'color,' a direct translation describing the medium's primary characteristic. The compound emerged in English during the 18th century as this painting technique became popular among European artists, particularly for landscape painting.
Watercolor's unpredictability—the way pigments flow and blend on wet paper—makes it both the most forgiving and most unforgiving of painting media. Master watercolorists learn to embrace 'happy accidents' where the water carries pigment in unexpected directions, creating effects impossible to achieve with more controlled media.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.