from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Romanesque \Ro`man*esque"\, a. [F. romanesque; cf. It.
romanesco.]
1. (Arch.) Somewhat resembling the Roman; -- applied
sometimes to the debased style of the later Roman empire,
but esp. to the more developed architecture prevailing
from the 8th century to the 12th.
[1913 Webster]
2. Of or pertaining to romance or fable; fanciful.
[1913 Webster]
{Romanesque style} (Arch.), that which grew up from the
attempts of barbarous people to copy Roman architecture
and apply it to their own purposes. This term is loosely
applied to all the styles of Western Europe, from the fall
of the Western Roman Empire to the appearance of Gothic
architecture.
[1913 Webster]