sfumato

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: sfu=ma=to

CIDE DICTIONARY

sfumato, a. [It.].

 Having vague outlines, and colors and shades so mingled as to give a misty appearance; -- said of a painting.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

sfumato, adj. & n. Painting
--adj. with indistinct outlines.
--n. the technique of allowing tones and colours to shade gradually into one another.

Etymology

It., past part. of sfumare shade off f. s- = EX-(1) + fumare smoke