Sculpture
/ˈskʌlp.tʃər/noun
The art of shaping figures or forms in three dimensions, or a work created by that art.
Did you know?Sculpture comes from Latin sculptura, tied to sculpere, meaning to carve or chip away, so the word itself preserves the ancient act of revealing a form by removing what is not it.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*skel-
“to cut, split, or carve”
Latin
Latin
sculpere
“to carve, engrave, or chip away”
Latin
Latin
sculptura
“carving; a carved work”
Old French
Old French
sculpture
“carving; a carved figure”
Middle English
English
sculpture
“carved figure or work of carving”
Modern English
English
sculpture
“a three-dimensional artistic form or the art of making it”