easel
Americannoun
-
a stand or frame for supporting or displaying at an angle an artist's canvas, a blackboard, a china plate, etc.
-
Also called masking frame. Photography. a frame, often with adjustable masks, used to hold photographic paper flat and control borders when printing enlargements.
noun
Other Word Forms
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
Explanation
If you're an artist, you probably use an easel, a stand that holds the canvas you're painting. If an art gallery displays your painting in the window on a solid gold easel, you’re making a splash in the art world! An easel is a tripod, with three long legs that connect together at the top and spread out wide at the floor, for stability. Artists use easels to hold the canvas or paper they’re working on — not just to display finished works of art. If you travel to a scenic overlook, you might see an artist painting the view onto a canvas, propped up on an easel. Easels can display other things, too, like letters, posters, or signs.
Vocabulary lists containing easel
Visual Arts - Introductory
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Visual Arts - Middle School
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Mockingbird
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
Now, he’s relegated his studio space to a spot for recording Cameos, perched in front of a ring light rather than an easel.
From Salon • Apr. 17, 2026
At age 78—just two years before the Gimbels show—Moses had swapped her life of farm work and domestic chores for the brush and easel, turning to painting after arthritis ended her endeavors in embroidery.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 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
Hernández gives her drawings a scale more commonly encountered in easel paintings, but the form is marked by a visual intimacy different from paint applied with a brush.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 16, 2024
I started to pull the door open when I noticed something else in the window—a placard on an easel.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
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.
