Painter
name, noun ·Common ·High school level
Definitions
- 1 An artist who paints pictures.
- 2 A chain or rope used to attach the shank of an anchor to the side of a ship when not in use. obsolete
- 3 A mountain lion. Southern-US
"I have fou't most of the creatur's of the forest, such as bears, wolves, painters and catamounts, but this is the beginning with the red-skins."
- 4 large American feline resembling a lion wordnet
- 5 A laborer or workman who paints surfaces using a paintbrush or other means.
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 A rope that is attached to the bow of a dinghy, or other small boat, and used for tying up or towing.
""Shove that [fat, wicker luncheon-basket] under your feet," he observed to the Mole, as he passed it down into the boat. Then he untied the painter and took the sculls again."
- 7 a line that is attached to the bow of a boat and used for tying up (as when docking or towing) wordnet
- 8 an artist who paints wordnet
- 9 a worker who is employed to cover objects with paint wordnet
- 1 A surname transferred from the common noun. countable, uncountable
- 2 A town in Accomack County, Virginia. countable, uncountable
Example
More examples"A painter only becomes a true painter by practicing his craft."
Etymology
From Middle English paynter, peyntere, equivalent to paint + -er.
Probably from Middle French pendeur.
From a variation of panther, paralleling other Southern pronunciations for can't and aunt (see ain't for more details).
See painter.
Related phrases
More for "painter"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.