Word origins - 2ed. J. Ayto. 2005.
Easel — Ea sel, n. [D. ezel ass, donkey, hence, easel, or G. esel; akin to E. ass. See {Ass}.] A frame (commonly) of wood serving to hold a canvas upright, or nearly upright, for the painter s convenience or for exhibition. [1913 Webster] {Easel picture} … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
easel — (n.) 1590s, from Du. ezel easel, originally ass, from M.Du. esel, from L. asinus ass (see ASS (Cf. ass) (1)); the comparison being of loading a burden on a donkey and propping up a painting or canvas on a wooden stand (Cf. SAWHORSE (Cf.… … Etymology dictionary
easel — [ē′zəl] n. [17th c. < Du ezel (Ger esel), ass, ult. < L asellus, dim. of asinus, ASS1: for sense, cf. Fr chevalet, easel, lit., little horse & SAWHORSE] an upright frame or tripod to hold an artist s canvas, a picture on display, etc … English World dictionary
easel — [n] stand frame, mount, tripod; concepts 442,733,757 … New thesaurus
easel — ► NOUN ▪ a wooden frame on legs for holding an artist s work in progress. ORIGIN Dutch ezel ass … English terms dictionary
Easel — An easel is an upright support used for displaying and/or fixing something resting upon it.The word is an old Germanic synonym for donkey (compare similar semantics); its equivalent is the only word for both animal and apparatus in various… … Wikipedia
easel — UK [ˈiːz(ə)l] / US [ˈɪz(ə)l] noun [countable] Word forms easel : singular easel plural easels a frame used for supporting the paper or board that you are painting or drawing on … English dictionary
easel — easeled, adj. /ee zeuhl/, n. 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. Photog. a frame, often with adjustable masks, used to hold photographic… … Universalium
easel — noun /ˈi.zəl/ An upright frame, typically on three legs, for displaying or supporting something, such as an artist’s canvas. Three sons … three! And not one sees fit to throw in with the old man. No … we have an easel painter, a stuntman, and a … … Wiktionary
easel — noun Easel is used before these nouns: ↑painting … Collocations dictionary
easel — ea|sel [ˈi:zəl] n [Date: 1500 1600; : Dutch; Origin: ezel donkey ; because an easel carries a painting as a donkey carries a person] a wooden frame that you put a painting on while you paint it … Dictionary of contemporary English
