Definition of easel
: a frame for supporting something (such as an artist's canvas)
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Recent Examples of easel from the Web
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Before long, thrill-seeking youths were scaling the rocky heights, armed with diaries and easels to record their impressions; and by the 1890s, the limber and intrepid had taken up a novelty sport called downhill skiing.
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And then there are charts that Secret Service Agent Rick Harris arranges on an easel.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'easel'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Illustration of easel
Origin and Etymology of easel
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 1ass
EASEL Defined for English Language Learners
easel
playDefinition of easel for English Language Learners
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: a frame for supporting an artist's painting
EASEL Defined for Kids
easel
playDefinition of easel for Students
: a frame for supporting an artist's painting
History for easel
Our word easel is borrowed from the Dutch word ezel, which means literally “donkey.” A donkey is used for carrying loads, and an artist's easel, like an obedient animal, does the work of supporting an artist's canvas. If this comparison seems at all odd, we should recall that horse in English is used in a similar way, as in the compound sawhorse, a frame that supports wood for cutting.
Learn More about easel
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See words that rhyme with easel Spanish Central: Translation of easel Nglish: Translation of easel for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of easel for Arabic speakers
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