stencil

[sten-suh l]

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noun

a device for applying a pattern, design, words, etc., to a surface, consisting of a thin sheet of cardboard, metal, or other material from which figures or letters have been cut out, a coloring substance, ink, etc., being rubbed, brushed, or pressed over the sheet, passing through the perforations and onto the surface.

the letters, designs, etc., produced on a surface by this method.

verb (used with object), sten·ciled, sten·cil·ing or (especially British) sten·cilled, sten·cil·ling.

to mark or paint (a surface) by means of a stencil.

to produce (letters, figures, designs, etc.) by means of a stencil.

Origin of stencil

1375–1425; earlier stanesile, late Middle English stansele to ornament with diverse colors or spangles < Middle French estanceler, derivative of estencele a spark, ornamental spangle < Vulgar Latin *stincilla, metathetic variant of Latin scintilla scintilla

Related formssten·cil·er; especially British, sten·cil·ler, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for stencil

arrangement, trim, motive, diagram, figure, impression, instruction, ornament, guide, decoration, device, plan, mold, original, template

Examples from the Web for stencil

Contemporary Examples of stencil

Gordon picked up a pair secondhand and began to stencil then onto blank canvases with spray paint.
Kim Gordon: Going Solo After Sonic Youth, and Why She Identifies With ‘Girls’
Andrew Romano
April 10, 2014
As the microbes moved toward the light to carry out photosynthesis, they projected the image of the stencil.
The Deadliest Art Ever
Jaimie Etkin
May 31, 2010
A Banksyesque stencil of Einstein carries a sign bearing the most unBanksyesque: message LOVE IS THE ANSWER.
The Art of 'Mr. Brainwash'
Anthony Haden-Guest
February 18, 2010

Historical Examples of stencil

You should have a set of stencil letters and mark every battery you rebuild or repair.
The Automobile Storage Battery
O. A. Witte
Often, too, they were coloured by stencil plates or freely by hand.
Wood-Block Printing
F. Morley Fletcher
When it is to be used with a stencil it must be made thicker than when it is used with a brush.
One Thousand Secrets of Wise and Rich Men Revealed
C. A. Bogardus
Then the stencil had to be taken from the roller that the latter might be inked again.
The Invention of Lithography
Alois Senefelder
Only the parts unprotected by the stencil will take the colour.
The Decoration of Leather
Georges de Rcy

British Dictionary definitions for stencil

stencil

noun

a device for applying a design, characters, etc, to a surface, consisting of a thin sheet of plastic, metal, cardboard, etc in which the design or characters have been cut so that ink or paint can be applied through the incisions onto the surface

a decoration, design, or characters produced in this way

verb -cils, -cilling or -cilled or US -cils, -ciling or -ciled (tr)

to mark (a surface) with a stencil

to produce (characters or a design) with a stencil

Derived Formsstenciller, noun

Word Origin for stencil

C14 stanselen to decorate with bright colours, from Old French estenceler, from estencele a spark, from Latin scintilla

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

Word Origin and History for stencil

1707, not recorded again until 1848, probably from Middle English stencellen "decorate with bright colors," from Middle French estenceler "cover with sparkles or stars, powder with color," from estencele "spark, spangle," from Vulgar Latin *stincilla, metathesis of Latin scintilla "spark."

"to produce a design with a stencil," 1861, from stencil (n.). Related: Stenciled; stenciling.