trompe l'oeil: Meaning and Definition of

trompe l'oeil

Pronunciation: (Fr. trônp lœ'y Eng. trômp' lā', loi'), [key]
  1. visual deception, esp. in paintings, in which objects are rendered in extremely fine detail emphasizing the illusion of tactile and spatial qualities.
  2. a painting, mural, or panel of wallpaper designed to create such an effect.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.