Rococo
Etymology
From French "rococo," probably from rocaille, "shell- and pebble-work," the shell-encrusted ornament fashionable in the period, perhaps blended playfully with the Italian "barocco," "baroque." It began as a mildly mocking studio term for a fussy, overwrought manner. Only later did it settle into a neutral name for the era’s style.
noun · /ruh-KOH-koh/
An ornate eighteenth-century style marked by light colors, curves, and elaborate shell-like decoration.
What it names
The playful, asymmetric froth of gilt scrolls and pastel ceilings that names a whole aesthetic of delicate excess, useful whenever a design tips from elegant into over-decorated.
Example
The salon was pure rococo — every mirror framed in gilded curlicues, every ceiling a swirl of pink clouds and plump cherubs.
Related idea
Rococo is light, curved, and playful; the baroque it grew out of is heavier, grander, and more dramatic.