easel

noun ea·sel \ ˈē-zəl \

|Updated on: 11 Jun 2018

Definition of easel

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

See easel defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of easel from the Web

Canvases spill across tables, lean against easels, and are clipped on walls.

— marc bona, cleveland.com, "Artist Tom Salomon creates colorful collages of baseball greats," 15 May 2018
One is a rolling easel-like stand for a single unit, and the other is the ability to mount four Surface Hub 2s next to one another, creating a massive wall of pixels.

— mark hachman, PCWorld, "Microsoft's Surface Hub 2 is a Teams-powered giant tablet that creates its own video wall," 15 May 2018
Groups can select any or all of the following: A 20-minute PowerPoint presentation; question-and-answer session; display boards on easels provided by the city; or budget overview handouts.

— david ibata, ajc, "Roswell offers presentations on FY 2019 budget," 4 May 2018
Perched on an easel in Kiernan’s office is a massive foam-core board, affixed with individual velcro tabs.

— madeleine luckel, Vogue, "What Exactly Goes Into the Met Gala Seating Chart?," 4 May 2018
Following the announcement of the birth of Prince William and Kate Middleton ’s third baby on Monday, a framed notice of the birth has gone on display on a ceremonial easel outside of Buckingham Palace.

— erin hill, PEOPLE.com, "See the Official Royal Baby Announcement Outside Buckingham Palace," 23 Apr. 2018
Royal fans gathered outside of Buckingham Palace to view a formal birth notice, which was posted on a wooden easel in the palace’s forecourt.

— jenny gross, WSJ, "Britain Welcomes Royal Baby Boy, Fifth in Line to the Throne," 23 Apr. 2018
Artists Paint OC: Plein Air Event: Artists from all over set up their easels along the boardwalk, bayside and beaches to capture the views of OC. 6 p.m.-8 p.m. Aug. 8-12.

— baltimoresun.com, "Ocean City 2018 calendar of events," 11 May 2018
After two hours, Chubb and his team hop in Burkhardt’s black Escalade, headed back to the hotel for the easel session with mom and dad.

— jenny vrentas, SI.com, "24 Hours ... With Bradley Chubb and His Team at the NFL Draft," 1 May 2018

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1596

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

EASEL Defined for English Language Learners

easel

noun

Definition of easel for English Language Learners

: a frame for supporting an artist's painting

EASEL Defined for Kids

easel

noun ea·sel \ ˈē-zəl \

Definition 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.