Easel

//ˈiː.z(ə)l// noun

noun ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    An upright frame, typically on three legs, for displaying or supporting something, such as an artist's canvas.

    "Chevalet, (chaſſis de bois ſur lequel les Peintres poſent leurs Tableaux quand ils travaillent) a Painter's Eaſel."

  2. 2
    an upright tripod for displaying something (usually an artist's canvas) wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
air brushart paperbrushcamera lucidacamera obscuracanvas

Example

More examples

"No artist's studio is complete without an unfinished painting resting on an easel."

Etymology

Borrowed from Dutch ezel (“donkey; easel”), from Middle Dutch esel (“donkey”), from Proto-West Germanic *asil, from Latin asellus (“young ass or small donkey”), diminutive of asinus (“ass, donkey”), ultimately from an unknown source in Asia Minor. Essentially, the stand that a painting is placed on is being likened to a donkey carrying a burden; compare horse (“a frame with legs used to support something”), as in clotheshorse and sawhorse.

Related phrases

bench easeleasel paintingart holderart thingartist toolartists tripodfor artistsfor paintingholding paintingholds canvasholds paintingon tripod

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.