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Synonyms

crayon

American  
[krey-on, -uhn] / ˈkreɪ ɒn, -ən /

noun

  1. a pointed stick or pencil of colored clay, chalk, wax, etc., used for drawing or coloring.

  2. a drawing in crayons.


verb (used with object)

crayons, present (3rd person singular) crayoned, past participle, past crayoning present participle
  1. to draw or color with a crayon or crayons.

verb (used without object)

crayons, present (3rd person singular) crayoned, past participle, past crayoning present participle
  1. to make a drawing with crayons.

crayon British  
/ ˈkreɪən, -ɒn /

noun

  1. a small stick or pencil of charcoal, wax, clay, or chalk mixed with coloured pigment

  2. a drawing made with crayons

"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

verb

  1. to draw or colour with crayons

"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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Etymology

Origin of crayon

1635–45; < French, equivalent to craie chalk (< Latin crēta clay, chalk) + -on noun suffix

Explanation

A crayon is a colorful stick of wax made for drawing and coloring. It’s also what you do with it. If a kid asks you to crayon with her, bring some paper and your imagination. Young artists often start with crayons, since they’re easy to deal with. Harold and the Purple Crayon is a book about a little boy who draws his own adventures with one purple crayon. But crayons come in hundreds of colors. While the history of drawing with colored wax dates back to ancient Egypt, the crayon we know today has been around — along with the word itself — since the 17th century. It comes from the French crayon, "pencil."

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