Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A style in art reflecting Chinese influence through use of elaborate decoration and intricate patterns.
  • noun An object reflecting Chinese artistic influence.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Chinese conduct, methods, or ways of doing things; a Chinese characteristic.
  • noun A Chinese curio, knickknack, or product: as, “Japanese tea-trays, chinoiseries,” etc., Miss Braddon.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun Chinese conduct, art, decoration, or the like; also, a specimen of Chinese manners, art, decoration, etc.
  • noun a style in art reflecting Chinese influence, being elaborately decorated and intricately patterned.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun art A style in art, or an artistic object, that reflects the influence of Chinese art

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a style in art reflecting Chinese influence; elaborately decorated and intricately patterned

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[French, from chinois, Chinese, from Chine, China.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From French chinoiserie ("Chinese-esque")

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Examples

Comments

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  • Just a little trick of the ear and the mind free associates with chained, even though the "shee" of chinoiserie sounds nothing like the "chay" of chained. See Free Association

    February 4, 2008