It was employed in Roman imperial ornamentation, and appeared, without the animal figures, in Moorish
and Arabic decorative art. (See Moresque.) The arabesques of the Renaissance were founded on
Greco- Roman work.
Arabesque
(Ar`a*besque"), a.
1. Arabian. [Obs.]
2. Relating to, or exhibiting, the style of ornament called arabesque; as, arabesque frescoes.
Arabesqued
(Ar`a*besqued") a. Ornamented in the style of arabesques.
Arabian
(A*ra"bi*an) a. Of or pertaining to Arabia or its inhabitants.
Arabian bird,
the phenix. Shak.
Arabian
(A*ra"bi*an), n. A native of Arabia; an Arab.
Arabic
(Ar"a*bic) a. [L. Arabicus, fr. Arabia.] Of or pertaining to Arabia or the Arabians.
Arabic numerals or
figures,
the nine digits, 1, 2, 3, etc., and the cipher 0. — Gum arabic. See
under Gum.
Arabic
(Ar"a*bic), n. The language of the Arabians.
The Arabic is a Semitic language, allied to the Hebrew. It is very widely diffused, being the language in
which all Mohammedans must read the Koran, and is spoken as a vernacular tongue in Arabia, Syria,
and Northern Africa.
Arabical
(A*rab"ic*al) a. Relating to Arabia; Arabic. — A*rab"ic*al*ly, adv.
Arabin
(Ar"a*bin) n.
1. (Chem.) A carbohydrate, isomeric with cane sugar, contained in gum arabic, from which it is extracted
as a white, amorphous substance.
2. Mucilage, especially that made of gum arabic.
Arabinose
(Ar"a*bin*ose`) n. (Chem.) A sugar of the composition C5H10O5, obtained from cherry
gum by boiling it with dilute sulphuric acid.
Arabism
(Ar"a*bism) n. [Cf. F. Arabisme.] An Arabic idiom peculiarly of language. Stuart.
Arabist
(Ar`a*bist) n. [Cf. F. Arabiste.] One well versed in the Arabic language or literature; also, formerly,
one who followed the Arabic system of surgery.
Arable
(Ar"a*ble) a. [F. arable, L. arabilis, fr. arare to plow, akin to Gr. E. ear, to plow. See Earable.]
Fit for plowing or tillage; — hence, often applied to land which has been plowed or tilled.
Arable
(Ar"a*ble), n. Arable land; plow land.