easel
/ˈiːz(ə)l
/noun
A wooden frame for holding an artist’s work while it is being painted or drawn.The show is also a wonderful time to watch artists set up easels and paint for the crowds or sign posters and books....
- The artist's easel, paint box, palettes, paintbrushes and dried tubes of paint occupied a corner.
- Here exhibited for the first time, it depicts a painting on an easel and a bird on the wing, the easel representing the artist and the bird in flight the liberating act of painting.
Origin
Late 16th century: from Dutch ezel 'ass'. The word ‘horse’ is used in English in a similar way to denote a supporting frame.
An easel is literally a donkey, coming into English in the 1630s from Dutch ezel. The use is similar to that of horse in clothes horse, where the load-bearing object is likened to a beast of burden.