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trompe l'oeil

(trômp loi)

n. pl. trompe l'oeils (loi)

1. A style of painting that is intended to give a convincing illusion of reality.

2. A painting or effect created in this style.

[French trompe l'œil : trompe, third person sing. present tense of tromper, to deceive + le, the + œil, eye.]

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trompe l'oeil

1784 mural painting on the Pilatushaus, Oberammergau, Germany, by Franz Seraph Zwinck (1748-1792)

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:

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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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