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Examples of easel in a Sentence
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His oldest brother bought him an easel for Christmas.
—
J. David Goodman, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2025
In July that year, a portrait of Russian President Vladimir Putin was displayed on an easel in front of the empty spot where Trump’s portrait was expected to hang, after a member of nonprofit progressive advocacy organization ProgressNow Colorado snuck in.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, TIME, 24 Mar. 2025
There’s a giant Van Gogh painting on an 80-foot easel—one of three in the world—visible from the highway in the town of Goodland, Kansas.
—Megan Michelson, Outside Online, 26 Feb. 2025
Treasures include antique oil paintings on old easels, silver teapots, bookcases, four-post beds, Persian rugs, fainting sofas, rattan porch chairs, and a smattering of estate accessories, from jewelry to furs, hats to small accouterments.
—Jenny Adams, Southern Living, 27 Feb. 2025
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J. David Goodman, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2025
In July that year, a portrait of Russian President Vladimir Putin was displayed on an easel in front of the empty spot where Trump’s portrait was expected to hang, after a member of nonprofit progressive advocacy organization ProgressNow Colorado snuck in.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, TIME, 24 Mar. 2025
There’s a giant Van Gogh painting on an 80-foot easel—one of three in the world—visible from the highway in the town of Goodland, Kansas.
—Megan Michelson, Outside Online, 26 Feb. 2025
Treasures include antique oil paintings on old easels, silver teapots, bookcases, four-post beds, Persian rugs, fainting sofas, rattan porch chairs, and a smattering of estate accessories, from jewelry to furs, hats to small accouterments.
—Jenny Adams, Southern Living, 27 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for easel
Cite this Entry
“Easel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/easel. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
easel
noun
ea·sel
ˈē-zəl 
: a frame for supporting something (as an artist's canvas)
Etymology
from Dutch ezel "a frame to hold an artist's canvas," literally, "donkey"
Word Origin
An easel is a frame for holding up such things as an artist's painting or a chalkboard. In the 17th century the Dutch had become famous throughout Europe for their oil painting. Thus it was their word ezel, which they used to refer to this piece of equipment, that was borrowed into English around that time. This sense of ezel was an extension of the original meaning "donkey," probably because an easel, like a beast of burden, is used to hold things.
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