Meaning & use
ormolu
Last updated
Gilded bronze or brass used to decorate furniture, clocks, and other fine objects, or the gilding technique itself.
See it in a sentence
The mantel clock was trimmed with ornate ormolu figures of cherubs.
Collectors prize eighteenth-century French furniture for its intricate ormolu mounts.
A note on using this word
The word comes from the French "or moulu," meaning "ground gold," describing the powdered gold once used in the gilding process.
Words with a similar meaning
gilt bronze
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