gesso/ˈd͡ʒɛsəʊ/EtymologyBorrowed from Italian gesso. Doublet of gypsum. Compare Portuguese gesso (“gypsum; plaster, cast”) and Spanish yeso (“gypsum; plaster, cast”).gesso means A mixture of plaster of Paris and glue used to prepare a surface for painting. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.nounA mixture of plaster of Paris and glue used to prepare a surface for painting.“1994, Timothy Noad, Patricia Seligman, The Illuminated Alphabet, The Quarto Group (Chartwell Books), 2017, page 27, The combination of leaf gold and gesso is almost miraculous. No photographic reproduction can adequately show the brilliant effect of raised gesso.”A work of art done in gesso.