Gro*tesque , n.
1. A whimsical figure, or scene, such as is found in old
crypts and grottoes. Dryden.
2. Artificial grotto-work.
Gro*tesque" (gr&osl;*t&ebreve;sk"),
a. [F., fr. It. grottesco, fr. grotta grotto. See Grotto.]
Like the figures found in ancient grottoes; grottolike;
wildly or strangely formed; whimsical; extravagant; of irregular forms and
proportions; fantastic; ludicrous; antic.
"Grotesque design." Dryden. "Grotesque incidents." Macaulay.
Hear it pronounced