cel
or cell
[sel]
- 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.
Show More
Origin of cel
by shortening of celluloid
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for cel
Historical Examples
It's then we takes up the business of havin' that cel'bration.
Faro Nell and Her FriendsAlfred Henry Lewis
The “Miscellany” was an interesting publication: pronounce miscellany with the accent on mis, and not on cel.
Old French had distinct pronouns for “this” and “that”—cest (ecce istum) and cel (ecce illium), with their cases.
Celeno (Cel′eno) was one of the Harpies, progenitor of Zephyrus, the west wind.
1000 Mythological Characters Briefly DescribedEdward S. Ellis
Cel'adon and Ame'lia, lovers of matchless beauty, and most devoted to each other.
Character Sketches of Romance, Fiction and the Drama, Vol 1The Rev. E. Cobham Brewer, LL.D.
cel
cell
- short for celluloid (def. 2b), celluloid (def. 2c)
Show More
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
Word Origin and History for cel
n.
"celluloid sheet for an animated cartoon," from celluloid; became current by c.1990 when they became collectible.
Show More
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper