sculpture

American  

[skuhlp-cher] / ˈskʌlp tʃər /

noun

1. the art of carving, modeling, welding, or otherwise producing figurative or abstract works of art in three dimensions, as in relief, intaglio, or in the round.

2. such works of art collectively.

3. an individual piece of such work.

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verb (used with object)

sculptured, sculpturing

1. to carve, model, weld, or otherwise produce (a piece of sculpture).

2. to produce a portrait or image of in this way; represent in sculpture.

3. Physical Geography. to change the form of (the land surface) by erosion.

verb (used without object)

sculptured, sculpturing

1. to work as a sculptor.

sculpture British  

/ ˈskʌlptʃə /

noun

1. the art of making figures or designs in relief or the round by carving wood, moulding plaster, etc, or casting metals, etc

2. works or a work made in this way

3. ridges or indentations as on a shell, formed by natural processes

4. the gradual formation of the landscape by erosion

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verb

1. (also intr) to carve, cast, or fashion (stone, bronze, etc) three dimensionally

2. to portray (a person, etc) by means of sculpture

3. to form in the manner of sculpture, esp to shape (landscape) by erosion

4. to decorate with sculpture

Other Word Forms

• nonsculptural adjective
• nonsculpturally adverb
• resculpture verb (used with object)
• sculptural adjective
• sculpturally adverb
• unsculptural adjective

Etymology

Origin of sculpture

1350–1400; Middle English (noun) < Latin sculptūra, equivalent to sculpt ( us ) (past participle of sculpere to carve) + -ūra -ure

Example Sentences

The “Lynch Fragments” were small, compact and muscular sculptures.

From The Wall Street Journal

We thought of it as a kind of Beuysian social sculpture, it was a weekly ritual, and over time it became something of an institution in the L.A. art world.

From Los Angeles Times

Last July, the city unveiled the sculpture Cast in Blue, which locals have since nicknamed the Blue Blob.

From BBC

Instead, he’ll perform with “The General,” described as “part instrument, part sculpture.”

From Los Angeles Times

His best-known series of sculptures, “Future Relics,” is visually arresting, featuring crumbling, ruin-like replicas of everyday objects including cameras, phones and CD players.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• sculpt