• n. From the Old French "crote" and the Italian "grotta" and the early modern French "crotesque". Fomr previous forms in English as "crotes(c)que" "crotesco" "crotesko" "grotesque" among other forms. It refers to the representation in a textile or fabric of portions of human and animal forms, fantastically combined and interwoven with foliage and flowers.

• Motif

• grotesques

• Simpson, John; Weiner, Edmund (eds). The Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford : Clarendon Press ; Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, 1989. [www.oed.com]

http://data.silknow.org/vocabulary/809