easel

noun

ea·​sel ˈē-zəl 

: a frame for supporting something (such as an artist's canvas)

Illustration of easel

Examples of easel in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The couple shared a photo of a photograph on display on an easel at Windsor Castle in England, alongside a caption explaining its significance. —Raven Brunner, People.com, 31 Aug. 2025

Attorneys for the Commonwealth drew timelines on a large easel pad of white paper with each victims’ ages and corresponding school years to help jurors understand when the allegations took place. —Stephanie Kuzydym, The Courier-Journal, 15 Aug. 2025

Marble benches were tucked away in nooks of the lake, perfect for an easel and some watercolors. —Ginger Perra, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Aug. 2025

Melissa & Doug arts and crafts toys may include markers, paints, art easels and beading kits. —Bestreviews, Mercury News, 4 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Dutch ezel, literally, "donkey," going back to Middle Dutch esel, going back to Germanic *asil- (whence Old Saxon & Old High German esil "donkey," Old English esol, eosol, Gothic asilus), altered from Latin asinus — more at ass entry 1

First Known Use

1596, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for easel

• weasel

Kids Definition

easel

noun

ea·​sel ˈē-zəl 

: a frame for supporting something (as an artist's canvas)

Etymology

from Dutch ezel "a frame to hold an artist's canvas," literally, "donkey"

Word Origin

An easel is a frame for holding up such things as an artist's painting or a chalkboard. In the 17th century the Dutch had become famous throughout Europe for their oil painting. Thus it was their word ezel, which they used to refer to this piece of equipment, that was borrowed into English around that time. This sense of ezel was an extension of the original meaning "donkey," probably because an easel, like a beast of burden, is used to hold things.