liberty

Art Nouveau (style)

adjective LEE-ber-tee Rare

Origin: Named after Liberty & Co., the London department store that popularized the style in Italy.

Usage Note

Liberty is the Italian term for the Art Nouveau decorative style (c. 1890–1910), named after the London store Liberty & Co. that exported the look. It is invariable and always used attributively: uno stile liberty, un palazzo liberty. English speakers should note that Italians say liberty, not Art Nouveau, for this style.

Examples

"Milano ha molti edifici in stile liberty."

Natural Translation

Milan has many buildings in the Art Nouveau style.

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