noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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Received-Pronunciation:/ˈiː.z(ə)l/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
General-American:/ˈi.zəl/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with -iːzəl
homophone: eisel (one pronunciation)
CMU ARPABET:IY1 Z AH0 L
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
An upright frame, typically on three legs, for displaying or supporting something, such as an artist's canvas.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
an upright tripod for displaying something (usually an artist's canvas)
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: tripod
History
Etymology
Borrowed from Dutch ezel (“donkey; easel”), from Middle Dutch esel (“donkey”), from Proto-West Germanic *asil, from Latin asellus (“young ass or small donkey”), diminutive of asinus (“ass, donkey”), ultimately from an unknown source in Asia Minor. Essentially, the stand that a painting is placed on is being likened to a donkey carrying a burden; compare horse (“a frame with legs used to support something”), as in clotheshorse and sawhorse.
Across languages
Translations
51 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic:
حَامِل
(ḥāmil)
— upright frame for displaying or supporting something
Armenian:
նկարակալ
(nkarakal)
— upright frame for displaying or supporting something
Bulgarian:
статив
(stativ)
— upright frame for displaying or supporting something
Catalan:
cavallet
— upright frame for displaying or supporting something
Chinese Mandarin:
黑板架
(hēibǎn jià)
— upright frame for displaying or supporting something
Chinese Mandarin:
畫架 /画架
(huàjià)
— upright frame for displaying or supporting something
Cornish:
margh skrifa
— upright frame for displaying or supporting something
Czech:
stojan
— upright frame for displaying or supporting something
Danish:
staffeli
— upright frame for displaying or supporting something
Dutch:
schildersezel
— upright frame for displaying or supporting something
Dutch:
ezel
— upright frame for displaying or supporting something
Esperanto:
stablo
— upright frame for displaying or supporting something
Finnish:
teline
— upright frame for displaying or supporting something
Finnish:
maalausteline
— upright frame for displaying or supporting something
French:
chevalet
— upright frame for displaying or supporting something
Galician:
cabalete
— upright frame for displaying or supporting something
German:
Staffelei
— upright frame for displaying or supporting something
Greek:
καβαλέτο
(kavaléto)
— upright frame for displaying or supporting something
Hebrew:
כן ציור
(kan tsiyur)
— upright frame for displaying or supporting something
Hungarian:
festőállvány
— upright frame for displaying or supporting something
Icelandic:
trönur
— upright frame for displaying or supporting something
Ido:
tresto
— upright frame for displaying or supporting something
Italian:
cavalletto
— upright frame for displaying or supporting something
Italian:
treppiedi
— upright frame for displaying or supporting something
Japanese:
画架
(gaka)
— upright frame for displaying or supporting something
Japanese:
イーゼル
(īzeru)
— upright frame for displaying or supporting something
Kazakh:
мольберт
(molbert)
— upright frame for displaying or supporting something
Korean:
화가
(hwaga)
— upright frame for displaying or supporting something
Latin:
vāra
— upright frame for displaying or supporting something
Latvian:
molberts
— upright frame for displaying or supporting something
Lithuanian:
molbertas
— upright frame for displaying or supporting something
Norwegian Bokmål:
staffeli
— upright frame for displaying or supporting something
Norwegian Nynorsk:
staffeli
— upright frame for displaying or supporting something
Persian:
خرک
(xarak)
— upright frame for displaying or supporting something
Persian:
سهپایه نقاشی
(se-pâye-ye naqqâši)
— upright frame for displaying or supporting something
Polish:
sztaluga
— upright frame for displaying or supporting something
Portuguese:
cavalete
— upright frame for displaying or supporting something
Romanian:
șevalet
— upright frame for displaying or supporting something
Russian:
мольбе́рт
(molʹbért)
— upright frame for displaying or supporting something
Russian:
подста́вка
(podstávka)
— upright frame for displaying or supporting something
Samogitian:
muolberts
— upright frame for displaying or supporting something
Scottish Gaelic:
dealbh-thaic
— upright frame for displaying or supporting something
Spanish:
caballete
— upright frame for displaying or supporting something
Spanish:
atril
— upright frame for displaying or supporting something
Swedish:
staffli
— upright frame for displaying or supporting something
Tagalog:
kabalyete
— upright frame for displaying or supporting something
Turkish:
şövale
— upright frame for displaying or supporting something
Ukrainian:
мольберт
(molʹbert)
— upright frame for displaying or supporting something
Ukrainian:
підставка
(pidstavka)
— upright frame for displaying or supporting something
Vietnamese:
giá vẽ
— upright frame for displaying or supporting something
Welsh:
îsl
— upright frame for displaying or supporting something
