pastel

¹ American  

[pa-stel, pas-tl] / pæˈstɛl, ˈpæs tl /

noun

1. a color having a soft, subdued shade.

2. a kind of dried paste made of pigments ground with chalk and compounded with gum water.

3. a chalklike crayon made from such paste.

4. the art of drawing with such crayons.

5. a drawing so made.

6. a short, light prose study or sketch.

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adjective

1. having a soft, subdued shade.

2. drawn with pastels.

   a pastel portrait.

pastel ² American  

[pas-tel] / ˈpæs tɛl /

noun

1. the woad plant.

2. the dye made from it.

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pastel British  

/ pæˈstɛl, ˈpæstəl /

noun

1. 1. a substance made of ground pigment bound with gum, used for making sticks for drawing

   2. a crayon of this

   3. a drawing done in such crayons

2. the medium or technique of pastel drawing

3. a pale delicate colour

4. a light prose work, esp a poetic one

5. another name for woad

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adjective

1. (of a colour) pale; delicate

   pastel blue

Other Word Forms

• pastelist noun

Etymology

Origin of pastel¹

First recorded in 1610–20; from French, from Italian pastello, from Late Latin pastellus, variant of Latin pastillus pastille

Origin of pastel²

First recorded in 1570–80; from Middle French pastel “woad,” from Provençal, from Medieval Latin pastellum (neuter) “woad” (originally “woad paste”), for Late Latin pastellus (masculine), diminutive of pasta paste

Example Sentences

Saturday afternoon meant throngs of people on the sidewalk— young and old couples, women in pastel dresses clutching kids and handbags, everyone moving at a leisurely pace.

From Literature

The swish of polyester skirts in spring pastels — lavender, mint, butter-yellow — as the women of the church organized the spread.

From Salon

We huddle around my phone as I show him images of Bad Bunny in the music video “NUEVAYoL” and Don Johnson in a pastel linen suit from an episode of “Miami Vice.”

From Los Angeles Times

It’s a wooden post with four boxes, each painted a different pastel shade.

From Literature

Lovely pastel flowers and leaves covered his arms right down to his wrists.

From Literature

Related Words

• delicate