Gro*tesque" (grO*tesk"), 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." [John Dryden|Dryden]. "Grotesque incidents." Macaulay.

© [Webster 1913]

Gro*tesque, n.

1.

A whimsical figure, or scene, such as is found in old crypts and grottoes. Dryden.

2.

Artificial grotto-work.

© [Webster 1913]

grotesque (definition)