crayon

[ krey-on, -uhn ]

noun

1. a pointed stick or pencil of colored clay, chalk, wax, etc., used for drawing or coloring.
2. a drawing in crayons.

verb (used with object)

1. to draw or color with a crayon or crayons.

verb (used without object)

1. to make a drawing with crayons.

crayon

/ ˈkreɪən; -ɒn /

noun

1. a small stick or pencil of charcoal, wax, clay, or chalk mixed with coloured pigment
2. a drawing made with crayons

verb

1. to draw or colour with crayons

Derived Forms

• ˈcrayonist, noun

Other Words From

• crayon·ist noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of crayon¹

1635–45; < French, equivalent to craie chalk (< Latin crēta clay, chalk) + -on noun suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of crayon¹

C17: from French, from craie, from Latin crēta chalk

Example Sentences

An abandoned jigsaw puzzle was unfinished at the dining room table, and children’s drawings and a note in red crayon wishing for a “wonderful life” clung to the refrigerator.

From Los Angeles Times

I’ll take out my own purple crayon and attempt to magic a coherent film review into existence out of this profoundly odd and offputting film.

From Los Angeles Times

When schools resumed, they packed crayons and school bags and bound books.

From BBC

I love that a lot of fans of TV shows think of characters as like crayons that you can just pick up and use.

From Los Angeles Times

In an early scene Torres, playing a version of himself, pitches Crayola executives on a crayon for “the color clear,” which he suggests naming after the Spanish word for “ghosts.”

From New York Times

Related Words

• pastel