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al·fres·co or al fres·co

(ăl-frĕskō)

adv.

In the fresh air; outdoors: dining alfresco.

adj.

Taking place outdoors; outdoor: an alfresco conference.

[Italian al fresco, in the fresh (air) : al, in the (a, to, in from Latin ad; see AD- + il, the, from Latin ille; see al-¹ in the Appendix of Indo-European roots) + fresco, fresh.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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