gesso

See also: Gesso and gessò

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian gesso. Doublet of gypsum. Compare Portuguese gesso (“gypsum; plaster, cast”) and Spanish yeso (“gypsum; plaster, cast”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈd͡ʒɛsəʊ/
• Rhymes: -ɛsəʊ

Noun

gesso (usually uncountable, plural gessos or gessoes)

1. A mixture of plaster of Paris and glue used to prepare a surface for painting.
   • 1994, Timothy Noad, Patricia Seligman, The Illuminated Alphabet, The Quarto Group (Chartwell Books), 2017, page 27,

     The combination of leaf gold and gesso is almost miraculous. No photographic reproduction can adequately show the brilliant effect of raised gesso.

   • 1999, Altoon Sultan, The Luminous Brush, Watson-Guptill, page 37:

     To make the gesso, you need a chalk and a glue. During the Renaissance, gesso was made with gypsum, which is calcium sulphate. Terra Alba, available from art suppliers today, is a natural gypsum that makes a bright white gesso.

   • 2007, Robin Cormack, Icons, The British Museum Press, Harvard University Press, page 33,

     The idea was that this would serve as a binder for the layer of gesso or at least might help to prevent the painting from instantly cracking apart if the wood split at any time.

2. A work of art done in gesso.

Usage notes

• Confusion arises from the fact that the Italian gesso is often translated as chalk, which in English is ambiguous and can be interpreted either as the mineral calcium carbonate or, in a more faithful translation, as calcium sulfate (gypsum; the "chalk" used to mark blackboards). In fact, both materials appear to have been used, historically.

• In 1955, a water-based acrylic gesso was developed comprised of calcium carbonate, the pigment titanium white (titanium dioxide) and an acrylic polymer medium. Modern acrylic gessos come in a variety of materials and mixtures, including coloured pigments, combined with the acrylic polymer base.

Derived terms

• gesso duro
• gesso grosso (“rough first layer of gesso”)
• gesso sottile (“finer second or subsequent layer”)

 

Translations

mixture of plaster of Paris and glue

• Bulgarian: гипс m (gips)
• Czech: šeps
• Finnish: gesso
• Georgian: თაბაშირი (tabaširi)
• Italian: gesso (it) m
• Portuguese: gesso (pt) m

Further reading

• "What is Gesso?", Rebecca E. Parsons, The Graphics Fairy
• "gesso", on Britannica.com

Anagrams

• Goses, Segos, goses, segos

Finnish

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian gesso

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡesːo/, [ˈɡe̞s̠ːo̞]
• Rhymes: -esːo
• Syllabification^(key): ges‧so

Noun

gesso

1. gesso (mixture of plaster of Paris and glue)

Declension

Inflection of gesso (Kotus type 1/valo, no gradation)
nominative		gesso	gessot
genitive		gesson	gessojen
partitive		gessoa	gessoja
illative		gessoon	gessoihin
		singular	plural
nominative		gesso	gessot
accusative	nom.	gesso	gessot
	gen.	gesson
genitive		gesson	gessojen
partitive		gessoa	gessoja
inessive		gessossa	gessoissa
elative		gessosta	gessoista
illative		gessoon	gessoihin
adessive		gessolla	gessoilla
ablative		gessolta	gessoilta
allative		gessolle	gessoille
essive		gessona	gessoina
translative		gessoksi	gessoiksi
abessive		gessotta	gessoitta
instructive		—	gessoin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of gesso (Kotus type 1/valo, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative gessoni gessoni accusative nom. gessoni gessoni gen. gessoni genitive gessoni gessojeni partitive gessoani gessojani inessive gessossani gessoissani elative gessostani gessoistani illative gessooni gessoihini adessive gessollani gessoillani ablative gessoltani gessoiltani allative gessolleni gessoilleni essive gessonani gessoinani translative gessokseni gessoikseni abessive gessottani gessoittani instructive — — comitative — gessoineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative gessosi gessosi accusative nom. gessosi gessosi gen. gessosi genitive gessosi gessojesi partitive gessoasi gessojasi inessive gessossasi gessoissasi elative gessostasi gessoistasi illative gessoosi gessoihisi adessive gessollasi gessoillasi ablative gessoltasi gessoiltasi allative gessollesi gessoillesi essive gessonasi gessoinasi translative gessoksesi gessoiksesi abessive gessottasi gessoittasi instructive — — comitative — gessoinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative gessomme gessomme accusative nom. gessomme gessomme gen. gessomme genitive gessomme gessojemme partitive gessoamme gessojamme inessive gessossamme gessoissamme elative gessostamme gessoistamme illative gessoomme gessoihimme adessive gessollamme gessoillamme ablative gessoltamme gessoiltamme allative gessollemme gessoillemme essive gessonamme gessoinamme translative gessoksemme gessoiksemme abessive gessottamme gessoittamme instructive — — comitative — gessoinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative gessonne gessonne accusative nom. gessonne gessonne gen. gessonne genitive gessonne gessojenne partitive gessoanne gessojanne inessive gessossanne gessoissanne elative gessostanne gessoistanne illative gessoonne gessoihinne adessive gessollanne gessoillanne ablative gessoltanne gessoiltanne allative gessollenne gessoillenne essive gessonanne gessoinanne translative gessoksenne gessoiksenne abessive gessottanne gessoittanne instructive — — comitative — gessoinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative gessonsa gessonsa accusative nom. gessonsa gessonsa gen. gessonsa genitive gessonsa gessojensa partitive gessoaan gessoansa gessojaan gessojansa inessive gessossaan gessossansa gessoissaan gessoissansa elative gessostaan gessostansa gessoistaan gessoistansa illative gessoonsa gessoihinsa adessive gessollaan gessollansa gessoillaan gessoillansa ablative gessoltaan gessoltansa gessoiltaan gessoiltansa allative gessolleen gessollensa gessoilleen gessoillensa essive gessonaan gessonansa gessoinaan gessoinansa translative gessokseen gessoksensa gessoikseen gessoiksensa abessive gessottaan gessottansa gessoittaan gessoittansa instructive — — comitative — gessoineen gessoinensa

Further reading

• “gesso”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[1] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-02

Italian

Etymology

From Latin gypsum, from Ancient Greek γύψος (gúpsos).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈd͡ʒɛs.so/
• Rhymes: -ɛsso
• Hyphenation: gès‧so

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

gesso m (plural gessi)

1. chalk
2. a cast

Derived terms

• gesso

Related terms

• gessetto
• gessoso
• ingessare

Descendants

• → English: gesso

Further reading

• gesso in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana

Portuguese

Etymology

Inherited from Latin gypsum (“gypsum”), from Ancient Greek γύψος (gúpsos). Doublet of giz, borrowed through Arabic.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈʒe.su/

• Hyphenation: ges‧so

Noun

gesso m (plural gessos)

1. gypsum (mineral)

   Synonym: gipsita

2. plaster (substance used for coating walls and ceilings)

   Synonym: estuque

3. cast (device to help mend broken bones)

Derived terms

• gesso de Paris

Related terms

• engessado
• engessador
• engessar
• gessar
• gesseiro
• giz