maquette
/mæˈkɛt/ IELTSAcademic
noun
A maquette is a small model of a planned building, sculpture, or scene. Artists and designers use it to test shape, scale, and layout before making the final work.
- The architect showed a maquette of the new museum.
- She made a maquette before starting the sculpture.
- The film set began as a detailed maquette.
Adinary Nuance
A maquette is more specific than a model. People use it for a small, careful version made for planning art, architecture, or film. It sounds more professional and artistic than everyday words like model or mock-up. If you want a rough test version, mock-up is usually more natural.
In other languages
- Vietnamese
- Mô hình thu nhỏ
- Spanish
- Maqueta
- Chinese
- 模型
- Japanese
- 模型
- Korean
- 모형
Etymology
Maquette comes from French, where it means a small model or sketch. English borrowed it in the 19th century, especially in art and design.
Common phrases
a scale maquettearchitectural maquettemake a maquette
Synonyms
Related words
Frequently asked questions
- Is maquette a common word in everyday English?
- No, it is fairly specialized. People use it mostly in art, design, architecture, and film.
- What is the difference between maquette and model?
- Model is the general word. Maquette is a smaller, artistic planning model.
- Is maquette formal or informal?
- It is fairly formal and specialist. It is common in professional and academic settings.
- Can I use maquette in business writing?
- Yes, if you are writing about design, architecture, or product planning.