cel

or cell

[ sel ]

/ sɛl /

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noun

a transparent celluloid sheet on which a character, scene, etc., is drawn or painted and which constitutes one frame in the filming of an animated cartoon: may be overlapped for change of background or foreground.

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Origin of cel

By shortening of celluloid

Words nearby cel

ceil, ceilidh, ceiling, ceilometer, ceinture, cel, Cela, celadon, celadonite, Celaeno, Celan

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use cel in a sentence

This, in fact, was how depth could be enhanced in some cel-based animation, thanks to “multiplane” cameras.
New York on Quaaludes|Blake Gopnik|April 23, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Andr Chnier a voulu exprimer cel aussi dans une phrase maladroite; et s'il ne l'a dit il l'a fait.
Instigations|Ezra Pound
Old French had distinct pronouns for “this” and “that”—cest (ecce istum) and cel (ecce illium), with their cases.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 1 "Franciscans" to "French Language"|Various
Par′cel-beard′ed (Tenn.), partially bearded; Par′cel-gilt, partially gilded.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 3 of 4: N-R)|Various

Pronounced as though it were spelled Cel-lay-bees, with the accent on the second syllable.
Where the Strange Trails Go Down|E. Alexander Powell
Cel'adon and Ame'lia, lovers of matchless beauty, and most devoted to each other.
Character Sketches of Romance, Fiction and the Drama, Vol 1|The Rev. E. Cobham Brewer, LL.D.

British Dictionary definitions for cel

cel

cell

/ (sɛl) /

noun

short for celluloid (def. 2b), celluloid (def. 2c)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012