Baroque refers to a broad European artistic period from the 17th to early 18th century, marked by elaborate detail and expressive grandeur in music, architecture, and art. In everyday use, it also describes anything extravagantly ornate or complicated. The term originated in the 18th century as a pejorative for irregular, imperfect styles, and has since become a canonical descriptor in the arts. (2–4 sentences, 50–80 words)
"The baroque cathedral was famed for its intricate façade and dramatic interior."
"In his essay, he compared the baroque aesthetic to modern minimalism, highlighting its ornate contrasts."
"She plays Baroque repertoire on the harpsichord with scholarly precision."
"The architect abandoned the baroque flourish for a more restrained classical approach."
Baroque originates from the Portuguese/Spanish barroco meaning ‘irregular pearl’ or ‘perla barroca,’ used by critics in the 18th century to describe art with irregular shapes reminiscent of a flawed pearl. The root barroco itself traces to Latin baroccus ‘stiff, wasted,’ evolving in early modern Italian and French as barocco, baroco, then English Baroque. The term was originally used pejoratively by contemporaries who preferred classical simplicity; over time it shifted to a scholarly label for a stylistic period. The word entered English via translations and critiques in the 17th–18th centuries, with initial implementations in art criticism and musicology. By the 1700s, Baroque had coalesced into a recognized era, later expanding beyond Italy to Spain, France, Germany, and the broader European arts. Its usage matured in the 19th century as a historical category describing the ornate sensibilities of composers like Vivaldi, Bach, and Handel, and later architects like Bernini and Borromini. The term’s semantic drift—from a potentially negative descriptor to a respected historic label—mirrors the evolving reception of stylistic novelty in European culture.
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Words that rhyme with "Baroque"
-oke sounds
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Baroque is pronounced bə-ROKE (US) or bə-ROHK (UK/AU) with the second syllable stressed: /bəˈroʊk/ US, /bəˈrəʊk/ UK/AU. Start with a Schwa + r, then a long ‘o’ diphthong in US, a more open monophthong in UK/AU, ending with a hard ‘k’. Keep lips rounded for the second syllable and avoid an extra syllable. Think: “buh-ROKE.”
Common errors include saying Baroque as ‘bar-OO-kay’ (overemphasizing the ‘oo’ and adding a second syllable) or pronouncing it with a short ‘o’ as in ‘broke’ without the final ‘k’ clarity. Correct approach: use a single, stressed second syllable with a long ‘o’ diphthong: /bəˈroʊk/. Avoid an extra vowel at the end and ensure the final consonant is a crisp /k/ rather than a soft vowel.
In US English, /bəˈroʊk/ with a clear long /oʊ/; rhotic, but the r is not overly pronounced before the vowel. UK/AU typically /bəˈrəʊk/, with a more pronounced /rə/ sequence and a shorter preceding vowel, and the diphthong is /əʊ/. Australians often merge vowels similarly to UK, maintaining nonrhotic tendencies in borrowed words yet retaining the /ˈroʊk/ sound in careful speech. Overall, the key is the second syllable: long /oʊ/ vs /əʊ/ and the rhoticity feel.
The difficulty lies in the stressed second syllable and the long /oʊ/ diphthong, which is not present in many learners’ languages. The final /k/ can be devoiced or softened, and the preceding /ɹ/ may blend or reduce in non-rhotic accents. Also, English loanword adaptation from Romance languages may tempt learners to pronounce it with a more closed /o/ or with two syllables. Focus on /bəˈroʊk/ and a crisp /k/.
Baroque uniquely has a stressed second syllable with a long /o/ diphthong in standard varieties, yielding /bəˈroʊk/ (US) or /bəˈrəʊk/ (UK/AU). The word’s origin and central accent pattern make it a common SEO target for pronunciation pages. Note the vowel sequencing and crisp coda consonant; avoid adding an extra syllable or misplacing the stress on the first syllable.
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