easel

US /ˈiːzəl/ UK /ˈiːz(ə)l/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

noun
a stand or frame for supporting an artist's canvas or a display board

The artist set up her easel in the park to paint the landscape.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a stand or frame for... stand frame support holder mount

Simplified etymology

Easel was borrowed in the late 16th century from Dutch ezel, meaning “donkey.” The name likens the supporting frame to an animal carrying a load.

Etymology

From Dutch ezel ("donkey; stand"), the frame likened to a beast of burden carrying the canvas; entered Modern English as easel, "an artist's stand."

Topics

Art & Music

External links

# easel

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈiːzəl/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈiːz(ə)l/

## Meanings
1. a stand or frame for supporting an artist's canvas or a display board

## Examples
- The artist set up her easel in the park to paint the landscape.

## Synonyms
- stand
- frame
- support
- holder
- mount

## Etymology
From Dutch ezel ("donkey; stand"), the frame likened to a beast of burden carrying the canvas; entered Modern English as easel, "an artist's stand."

## AI Etymology
Easel comes from Dutch ezel ("donkey; stand"), the frame likened to a beast of burden carrying the canvas; entered Modern English as easel, "an artist's stand.". In current use it is a noun meaning "a stand or frame for supporting an artist's canvas or a display board". That sense is explained by the older material without requiring a speculative semantic step: the inherited or borrowed base supplies the field of meaning, while the English formation fixes its modern role. The history is mainly one of transmission into English, with the older form and sense carried through borrowing or adaptation. For dictionary purposes, the important point is the continuity between the older form, the route into English, and the present lexical sense.

## Topics
- Art & Music

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