tondo

[ ton-doh; Italian tawn-daw ]

noun

, plural ton·di [ton, -dee, tawn, -dee].

1. a round painting or relief.

tondo

/ ˈtɒndəʊ /

noun

1. a circular easel painting or relief carving

Word History and Origins

Origin of tondo¹

First recorded in 1885–90; from Italian: “plate, circle, round painting,” noun use of the adjective: “round,” shortening of rotondo, from Latin rotundus “wheel-shaped, circular, round”

Word History and Origins

Origin of tondo¹

C19: from Italian: a circle, shortened from rotondo round

Example Sentences

Years ago, while visiting Florence, Italy’s famed Uffizi gallery, screenwriter David Hemingson found himself captivated by the famed painting of the holy family known as the Doni Tondo.

From Salon

Helping this along is another inspiration taken from the Doni Tondo, in that Hemingson thinks of Barton’s temporarily vacant Barton school grounds as “a biodome.”

From Salon

Felizardo lived in Parola Tondo, sometimes described as Manila's worst slum.

From BBC

Jessie Conde, a regular at a court built by waste pickers in the slums of Tondo, said he always turns to basketball when things get tough at home or at school.

From Reuters

It’s a celestial tondo of the posthuman, a portal to the angels or their digital avatars.

From New York Times