painter

¹

[peyn-ter]

noun

1. an artist who paints pictures.

2. a person who coats walls or other surfaces with paint, especially as an occupation.

3. Astronomy.,  Painter, the constellation Pictor.

painter

²

[peyn-ter]

noun

1. a rope, usually at the bow, for fastening a boat to a ship, stake, etc.

painter

³

[peyn-ter]

noun

1. cougar.

painter

¹

/ ˈpeɪntə /

noun

1. a person who paints surfaces as a trade

2. an artist who paints pictures

painter

²

/ ˈpeɪntə /

noun

1. a line attached to the bow of a boat for tying it up

Word History and Origins

Origin of painter¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English peyntour, pentour, paint(o)ur, from Anglo-French peint(o)ur, from unattested Vulgar Latin pinctor, from Latin pictor (noun derivative of pingere paint ( def. ) + -or ² ( def. ) ); -er ¹ ( def. )

Origin of painter²

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English peyntour, pentre, probably from Middle French pentoir, variant of pendoir “rope, cord for hanging things on,” from Old French pentoir, penteur; pend, -er ²

Origin of painter³

An Americanism dating back to 1755–65; variant of panther

Word History and Origins

Origin of painter¹

C15: probably from Old French penteur strong rope

Example Sentences

One eccentric grandmother had been a regional stage actress and was a painter who slept all day and painted at night; the other was an interior designer.

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He was popular, but for a long time the critics condescended to him, calling him a lightweight Sunday painter and deriding him for his “matchstick” figures.

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Why shouldn’t their town square prioritize strolling couples and amateur oil painters and kids tossing softballs over parking meters and hatchbacks?

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“The Muse at Her Easel,” in the opening section, probes the relationship between English painter Lucian Freud and his model, Celia Paul, also a painter, via a review of her memoir.

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Or, more broadly, as reflections of their disparate perceived goals as painters.

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Related Words

• animator 
• artisan 
• craftsman 
• illustrator