Etymograph

English

rococo

Rococo comes from French rococo, and goes back to rocaille.

  1. Frenchc. 1600–presentrocaille1
  2. Frenchc. 1600–presentrococo2
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1896rococo2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, French rococo
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English rococo
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1896, The American Stationer: “Above the two chief figures are rococos on either…”.

Lineage

  1. Frenchc. 1600–presentrocailleWiktionary, French rococo
  2. Frenchc. 1600–presentrococoWiktionary, English rococo
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1896rococoWiktionary, English rococo. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1896, The American Stationer: “Above the two chief figures are rococos on either…”

Every English word from French rocaille

Today it means

noun A style of baroque architecture and decorative art, from 18th-century France, having elaborate ornamentation.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “rococo”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for French rococo. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / French rocaille / rococo

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