Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary · 1913

Grotesque

Grotesque (gro*tesk") , adjective

[French, from Italian grottesco, from grotta grotto. See Grotto.]

1.
Like the figures found in ancient grottoes; grottolike.
2.
Wildly or strangely formed; whimsical; extravagant; of irregular forms and proportions; fantastic; ludicrous; antic.
Grotesque design. — Dryden
Grotesque incidents. — Macaulay

Grotesque , noun

1.
A whimsical figure, or scene, such as is found in old crypts and grottoes. — Dryden
2.
Artificial grotto-work.