intonaco

[ in-ton-uh-koh, -taw-nuh-; Italian een-taw-nah-kaw ]

noun

, plural in·to·na·cos, Italian in·to·na·ci [een-, taw, -nah-chee].

1. (formerly in fresco painting) the last and finest coat of plaster, usually applied in sections and painted while still damp with colors ground in water or a lime-water mixture.

Word History and Origins

Origin of intonaco¹

1800–10; < Italian, noun derivative of intonacare to coat, equivalent to in- in- ² + Vulgar Latin *tunicāre, by construal of Latin tunicātus “wearing a tunic” as a ptp; tunic, -ate ¹

Example Sentences

Two kinds of intonaco are used, one hard and white, the other grey and sandier.

From Project Gutenberg