sfumato

Where does the word "sfumato" come from? It comes from Italian sfumare, and was adopted directly into English (1840s).

Sfumato’s story begins in Italian: sfumare meant “to fade like smoke.” To tone down, to fade like smoke, from fumo (smoke). It reached English by 1840s as sfumato. Italian 'smoked'; the Mona Lisa is the classic example. Today, sfumato means a painting technique using soft gradations of tone rather than sharp outlines.

1. Stage 1 · Italian · 1500s sfumare "to fade like smoke", to tone down, to fade like smoke, from fumo (smoke).
2. Stage 2 · English · 1840s sfumato "a painting technique of soft, smoky tonal blending", Italian 'smoked'; the Mona Lisa is the classic example.