painter

¹ American  

[peyn-ter] / ˈpeɪn tər /

noun

1. an artist who paints pictures.

2. a person who coats walls or other surfaces with paint, especially as an occupation.

3. Astronomy. Painter, the constellation Pictor.

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painter ² American  

[peyn-ter] / ˈpeɪn tər /

noun

1. a rope, usually at the bow, for fastening a boat to a ship, stake, etc.

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painter ³ American  

[peyn-ter] / ˈpeɪn tər /

noun

1. cougar.

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painter ¹ British  

/ ˈpeɪntə /

noun

1. a person who paints surfaces as a trade

2. an artist who paints pictures

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painter ² British  

/ ˈpeɪntə /

noun

1. a line attached to the bow of a boat for tying it up

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Etymology

Origin of painter¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English peyntour, pentour, paint(o)ur, from Anglo-French peint(o)ur, from unattested Vulgar Latin pinctor, from Latin pictor (noun derivative of pingere paint ( def. ) + -or ² ( def. ) ); -er ¹ ( def. )

Origin of painter²

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English peyntour, pentre, probably from Middle French pentoir, variant of pendoir “rope, cord for hanging things on,” from Old French pentoir, penteur; pend, -er ²

Origin of painter³

An Americanism dating back to 1755–65; variant of panther

Explanation

A painter is an artist who uses a brush to daub colors onto paper or canvas. The person who tints your bedroom walls pink at your request is also a painter. The main thing painters have in common is that they use paint — whether it's watercolor, house paint, or finger paint. If you hire a painter to paint your portrait, you'll end up with a work of art suitable for framing. And if you hire a painter to paint your house green, you'll end up with a green house. If a sailboat captain mentions a painter, they're probably referring to the special rope used for towing or tying up a boat.

Example Sentences

Walk through the Convent of San Marco in Florence, and you’ll see Crucifixion after Crucifixion in frescos by the 15th-century painter Fra Angelico.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026

It feels almost like a scene from his new film, “The Christophers,” about an aging painter living in a similarly historic abode.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026

Carmen Bambach, a specialist in the Italian Renaissance, curated 175 works by Raphael for the first major exhibition devoted to the painter in the United States.

From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026

Erasmus was impressed enough that when Holbein traveled to England in 1526, he sent the painter off with letters of introduction.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026

On a fateful day in 1907, Pieret got up off the couch and told Marie Laurencin, a painter and Apollinaire’s partner, that he was going to the Louvre that afternoon.

From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day

Related Words

• animator
• artisan
• craftsman
• illustrator