Agency Dictionary
Statue
nounPronunciation: /ˈstætʃ.uː/
In Portuguese: Estátua
Arts, Music & MediaWhat does “Statue” mean?
A carved or cast three-dimensional sculpture of a person or animal, often used metaphorically for rigidity.
Etymology
From Old French statue, from Latin statua, "image, statue", a noun made from statuere, "to set up, to erect". That verb belongs to the large family of stare, "to stand", so a statue is in origin a thing set upright. The same family gives English status, stature and statute.
Usage note
A statue is a full figure in three dimensions, usually life-size or larger; a small one is a statuette and a head and shoulders alone is a bust.
Synonyms
- sculpture
- figure
- effigy
- likeness
Often confused with
- statute
- A statute is a written law; a statue is a sculpted figure. A third neighbour, stature, means height or standing.
Word family
- statuette
- statuary
- statuesque
Usage examples
Some people are like statues or outdated software - they found a version of themselves and got forever stuck in it.
Concepts
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Source editions
Where this entry comes from in the Agency editorial.
Words of the same theme
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- A set of principles concerned with the nature and appreciation of beauty, artistic taste, and style.
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- The complex relationship and dialogue between different texts and cultural expressions. It demonstrates how contemporary works constantly reference, adapt, and transform preceding ideas.
Also from these editions: terms
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