readymade
or read·y-made
[ red-ee-meyd ]
/ ˈrɛd iˈmeɪd /
noun
an everyday manufactured object, as a bottle rack, a snow shovel, a urinal, or a comb, that may by the creative act of selection and designation by an artist attain status as a work of art: associated almost exclusively with the aesthetic activities of Marcel Duchamp during the period 1915 to 1917.
Origin of readymade
< French < English; term introduced by Duchamp in 1915
Words nearby readymade
Definition for readymade (2 of 2)
ready-made
[ red-ee-meyd ]
/ ˈrɛd iˈmeɪd /
adjective
made in advance for sale to any purchaser, rather than to order: a ready-made coat.
made for immediate use.
unoriginal; conventional.
noun
something that is ready-made, as a garment or a piece of furniture or equipment.
Origin of ready-made
late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50
Example sentences from the Web for readymade
It counts as a readymade, of sorts, because like Duchamp's famous urinal it transplants a functional object into the art world.
Camp was pitched upon a knoll with plenty of pine trees so standing that natural tentpoles were readymade.
Girl Scouts in the Rockies |Lillian Elizabeth RoyWhen a readymade definition, admirably rendered, is at your command, why be at the pains of making a new one for yourself?
The Feasts of Autolycus |Elizabeth Robins PennellAnd that was devoted to what—readymade clothes, ski clothes, and that sort of thing?
Warren Commission (9 of 26): Hearings Vol. IX (of 15) |The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy
British Dictionary definitions for readymade
ready-made
adjective
made for purchase and immediate use by any customer
a ready-made jacket
extremely convenient or ideally suited
a ready-made solution
unoriginal or conventional
ready-made phrases
noun
a ready-made article, esp a garment