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easel

American  
[ee-zuhl] / ˈi zəl /

noun

  1. a stand or frame for supporting or displaying at an angle an artist's canvas, a blackboard, a china plate, etc.

  2. Also called masking frame.  Photography. a frame, often with adjustable masks, used to hold photographic paper flat and control borders when printing enlargements.

easel British  
/ ˈiːzəl /

noun

  1. a frame, usually in the form of an upright tripod, used for supporting or displaying an artist's canvas, blackboard, etc

"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

  • easeled adjective

Etymology

Origin of easel

1625–35; < Dutch ezel ass, easel (cognate with German Esel, Old English esel ass) < Vulgar Latin *asilus, for Latin asellus, diminutive of asinus ass 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

And she plays a supporting role in the background via a mirrored image of her at her easel, eyeing the tree.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 10, 2026

Stars including comedian Tommy Cannon and singer Lisa Maffia also arrived for the service, where a framed photo of Nolan was placed on an easel outside the church.

From BBC • Feb. 1, 2025

Propped on her easel is the reason why – a photo of her boyfriend Bohdan, a burly serviceman with a gentle smile.

From Seattle Times • May 7, 2024

A revolution would come to Germany, as it had already come to Beckmann’s easel.

From New York Times • Nov. 10, 2023

In the hideout, Bond walks past a painting on an easel.

From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.