picturesque

Etymology

From picture + -esque, a calque of Italian pittoresco, from pittura (“a picture, painting”).

adj

  1. Resembling or worthy of a picture or painting; having the qualities of a picture or painting; pleasingly beautiful.
    We looked down onto a beautiful, picturesque sunset over the ocean.
    A dear old lady said she thought the ancient castle at Conway most picturesque, but that it was a pity they put it so close to the railway! 1946 March and April, R. A. H. Weight, “Euston to the North-West”, in Railway Magazine, page 71
  2. Strikingly graphic or vivid; having striking and vivid imagery.
    picturesque language

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