Encaustic

adj, noun

adj, noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A wax-based paint that is fixed in place by heating. countable, uncountable

    "It has become usual in discussions of Flags facture to use the terms, suggested by [Jasper] Johns himself, ‘encaustic', oil and collage on fabric’."

  2. 2
    a paint consisting of pigment mixed with melted beeswax; it is fixed with heat after application wordnet
  3. 3
    A painting produced using this type of paint. countable
Adjective
  1. 1
    Prepared by means of heat; burned in. not-comparable

    "After all, no sealant or finish is necessary in the encaustic medium, and shellac is stinky, caustic and messy."

Example

More examples

"After all, no sealant or finish is necessary in the encaustic medium, and shellac is stinky, caustic and messy."

Etymology

From Ancient Greek ἐγκαυστικός (enkaustikós, “burning in”), from καίω (kaíō, “to burn”).

Related phrases

encaustic tile

More for "encaustic"

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.