Grotesquery

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An abnormal or distorted representation, often in a way that evokes both amusement and revulsion
2. a blend of the bizarre and the ridiculous, typically seen in art or literature
3. a strange or ludicrous piece that highlights the absurdity of a subject through exaggeration

Etymology: "Grotesquery" is built from "grotesque" plus the suffix "-ery", which English uses to form nouns for a collection, practice, or quality. The "-ery" ending is the same one found in words like "bakery" and "finery," and here it works as a way of turning the adjective into a noun for a whole body of strange or distorted things. The base word has its own history. "Grotesque" came into English from French, where it was itself borrowed from Italian "grottesco," meaning "of a grotto." The reference is to the ancient Roman decorations, with their fantastical human and animal figures, that were uncovered in underground chambers in Rome during the Renaissance, and "grotesque" first named that style of ornament before it came to mean odd or monstrous. The noun "grotesquery" calques the French "grotesquerie," so English adopted the same formation from its neighbour rather than inventing a new one. The word therefore carries the grotto origin at one remove, through a French noun that already meant the quality of being grotesque.

Synonyms: bizarre, oddity, monstrosity, absurdity, peculiarity

Antonyms: normality, beauty, order, regularity, symmetry