CIDE DICTIONARY

sculpture, n. [L. sculptura: cf. F. sculpture.].

The art of carving, cutting, or hewing wood, stone, metal, etc., into statues, ornaments, etc., or into figures, as of men, or other things; hence, the art of producing figures and groups, whether in plastic or hard materials. [1913 Webster]
Carved work modeled of, or cut upon, wood, stone, metal, etc. [1913 Webster]
"There, too, in living sculpture, might be seen
The mad affection of the Cretan queen." [1913 Webster]

sculpture, v. t.

To form with the chisel on, in, or from, wood, stone, or metal; to carve; to engrave. [1913 Webster]

Sculptured tortoise (Zoöl.), a common North American wood tortoise (Glyptemys insculpta). The shell is marked with strong grooving and ridges which resemble sculptured figures.

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OXFORD DICTIONARY

sculpture, n. & v.
--n.
1 the art of making forms, often representational, in the round or in relief by chiselling stone, carving wood, modelling clay, casting metal, etc.
2 a work or works of sculpture.
3 Zool. & Bot. raised or sunken markings on a shell etc.
--v.
1 tr. represent in or adorn with sculpture.
2 intr. practise sculpture.

Derivative

sculptural adj. sculpturally adv. sculpturesque adj.

Etymology

ME f. L sculptura f. sculpere sculpt- carve

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THESAURUS

sculpture

abstract art, art, art form, artist, arts and crafts, arts of design, assemble, autolithograph, be a printmaker, block out, bronze, bust, calligraphy, carve, carving, cast, cave art, ceramics, character, chase, chisel, conformation, crease, create, creation, cribble, crosshatch, cut, decoration, design, designing, doll, dolly, dummy, efform, efformation, enchase, engrave, engraving, etching, fantoccini, fashion, fashioning, figuration, figure, figurehead, figurine, fine arts, fix, folk art, forge, form, formalize, formation, formature, forming, found, frame, furrow, gingerbread man, graphic arts, grave, groove, group, hatch, head, hew, incise, inscribe, insculpture, knead, knock out, lay figure, lay out, lick into shape, line, lithograph, make prints, man of straw, manikin, mannequin, marble, marionette, mark, mint, mobile, model, modeling, mold, molding, monument, morphogenesis, morphogeny, photography, plastic art, portrait bust, primitive art, print, puppet, relief, rough out, roughcast, roughhew, scarecrow, score, scrape, scratch, sculp, sculpt, set, shape, shaping, snowman, solder, stabile, stamp, statuary, statue, statuette, stipple, tailor, terra cotta, the arts, thermoform, tool, wax figure, waxwork, weld, wood carving, work

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ROGET THESAURUS

sculpture

Form

N form, figure, shape, conformation, configuration, make, formation, frame, construction, cut, set, build, trim, cut of one's jib, stamp, type, cast, mold, fashion, contour, structure, plasmature, feature, lineament, turn, phase, posture, attitude, pose, morphism, isomorphism, forming, formation, figuration, efformation, sculpture, plasmation, formed, plastic, fictile, formative, fluid, plasmic, isomorphous, pleomorphic, protean, changeable.

VB form, shape, figure, fashion, efform, carve, cut, chisel, hew, cast, rough hew, rough cast, sketch, block out, hammer out, trim, lick into shape, put into shape, model, knead, work up into, set, mold, sculpture, cast, stamp, build.

Representation

N representation, representment, imitation, illustration, delineation, depictment, imagery, portraiture, iconography, design, designing, art, fine arts, painting, sculpture, engraving, photography, cinematography, radiography, autoradiography, fluorography, sciagraphy, personation, personification, impersonation, drama, picture, photo, photograph, daguerreotype, snapshot, X-ray photo, movie film, movie, tracing, scan, TV image, video image, image file, graphics, computer graphics, televideo, closed-circuit TV, copy, drawing, sketch, drought, draft, plot, chart, figure, scheme, image, likeness, icon, portrait, striking likeness, speaking likeness, very image, effigy, facsimile, figure, figure head, puppet, doll, figurine, aglet, manikin, lay- figure, model, mammet, marionette, fantoccini, waxwork, bust, statue, statuette, ideograph, hieroglyphic, anaglyph, kanji, diagram, monogram, map, plan, chart, ground plan, projection, elevation (plan), ichnography, cartography, atlas, outline, scheme, view, radiograph, scotograph, sciagraph, spectrogram, heliogram, represent, representing, representative, illustrative, represented, imitative, figurative, iconic, like, graphic, cinquecento quattrocento, trecento.

Sculpture

N sculpture, insculpture, carving, statuary, high relief, low relief, bas relief, relief, relieve, bassorilievo, altorilievo, mezzorilievo, intaglio, anaglyph, medal, medallion, cameo, marble, bronze, terra cotta, papier-mache, ceramic ware, pottery, porcelain, china, earthenware, cloisonne, enamel, faience, Laocoon, satsuma, statue, cast, glyptotheca, sculptured, v, in relief, anaglyptic, ceroplastic, ceramic, parian, marble, xanthian.

VB sculpture, carve, cut, chisel, model, mold, cast.

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