Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Of or being a style of painting produced out of doors in natural light.
  • adjective Taking place outdoors.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun In painting, open air, from the phrase en plein air, in the open air, out of doors: a term used to characterize the modern point of view in painting, which considers the natural effects of light in nature rather than the artificial effects of the studio.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[From French (en) plein air, (in) the open air : en, in + plein, full + air, air.]

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Examples

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