Dragonesque

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Having the character, appearance, or qualities associated with a dragon, such as fearsome majesty or mythical grandeur
2. Bearing a resemblance to a dragon in style, form, or manner, evoking images of legendary winged creatures
3. Suggestive of dragon-like qualities, whether through artistic design, dramatic flair, or fantastical imagery

Etymology: "Dragonesque" is a plain English formation: "dragon" with the suffix "-esque," which attaches to nouns to mean "in the manner of" or "resembling," as in "statuesque" or "picturesque." The result describes something that looks like, or has the character of, a dragon. The more interesting wrinkle is its relationship to "dragonish." The two words are doublets: they were formed from the same base, "dragon," by different suffixes, and so they share a root while going their separate ways. "Dragonish" uses the older, more native-sounding "-ish," which also gives us words like "reddish" and "childish." "-Esque" comes to English from French, ultimately from Italian, and it carries a more deliberately stylized or artistic flavour, which is why it turns up in words describing art and style. The two are close in meaning, and writers have simply chosen between them according to the sound and tone they wanted.

Synonyms: dragon-like, draconic