Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - arabesque

 I. adjective  Etymology: French, from Italian arabesco Arabian in fashion, from arabo Arab, from Latin Arabus  Date: circa 1656 of, relating to, or being in the style of ~ or an ~  II. noun  Date: 1786  1. an ornament or style that employs flower, foliage, or fruit and sometimes animal and figural outlines to produce an intricate pattern of interlaced lines  2. a posture (as in ballet) in which the body is bent forward from the hip on one leg with one arm extended forward and the other arm and leg backward  3. an elaborate or intricate pattern richly pierced by an ~ of wormholes — John Chase